Gravestone lessons
Idon’t know why, but I have always loved walk ing through cemeteries. When I was in the Army stationed in Savannah, Georgia, I visited an old cemetery where signers of the Declaration of Independence were buried. I did the same thing in Virginia, going to cemeteries where significant people of our nation’s history were buried including Revolutionary heroes, founding fathers, and Declaration of Independence signers. When my wife and I visited Boston a few years ago, we walked through cemeteries where people of early American history were also buried. It was cold and rainy, and my wife endured for my sake. Veteran graves and cemeteries are a favorite of mine to visit too.
I particularly enjoy going to the graves of my ancestors.
I don’t know why, but I get a great sense of fulfillment standing at the grave of one of my direct ancestors. I learned from one cemetery visit that I am descended from royalty, King James the 1st and 5th of England and Scotland (yes, the King James of the Bible). Since I do genealogy research, I’ve gleaned information through these visits as well. I always love when there is something on the headstone to give you a sense of what the person was like, and whether they were a person of faith or not. From my visits to ancestral graves, I can say that faith has been a large part of my family’s history, some placing scripture or other faith references on the stones of the deceased.
Older gravestones usually gave a testimony to one’s faith for others to read and hopefully, consider their own journey to the same destination. I lament that today; many folks are not having their lives marked by at least some kind of stone or marker. Even if there is no body to bury, or ability to place many words on the marker, there should be some acknowledgment of a person’s life, and if they are believers, to give a lasting testimony to their faith in the Lord and the hope of the resurrection we just celebrated Easter Sunday.
The writer of Hebrews acknowledged that those who lived and died, yet still speak. They speak out of their faith, and their lives lived in faith. May we do the same, and may we find ways to let our lives speak of our faith after we pass from this life to the next.
