What is the first thing you read
when you open the daily paper? My grandmother used to first
turn to the obituary to make sure her name was not there. Of
course we all know if our name is in the obituary page of the
local paper it would be impossible for us to read it.
Unless you were Alfred Nobel.
The day after Alfred’s brother’s death, he opened the paper to
the obituary page and found that the newspaper had made a grave
mistake. Instead of printing his brother’s obituary, they
printed his.
Reading his own obituary became a
life-changing event for Alfred. If you were to read his obituary
today you find a very different obituary than the one he read.
Today’s obituary would mention
that Alfred Noble is the Swedish born scientist for whom the Noble
Peace Prize is named after. The obituary he read, correctly
identified him as inventing, at the time, the most deadly
explosive, dynamite.
Deeply saddened to learn that he
would be remembered in such a negative way he decided to dedicate
his life to something more positive and beneficial for society.
It was then that he decided to use
his wealth to reward and honor people who dedicated their lives
for causes of peace.
Alfred Noble made a deliberate and
intentional decision to make his life count for something very
positive and good.
His opportunity and decision to
change is no different than the opportunities that you and I have
everyday.
Everyday you make choices with
regards to how you will be remembered. Do you want to be
remembered as a successful businessman, an entrepreneur, a leader
in your field, or as someone ‘who successfully passed the baton
of faith to those whom you had the opportunity to influence?’
Major league baseball player Side
Bream remarked, “In America we put so much stock in our
position, our material well being, our financial stability, and
our social standing that we forget that none of those things will
matter when our life on this earth is through and we stand before
our Holy God.”
John Mohr wrote the words to the
following song.
