I’ve been contemplating Ecclesiastes 1:11 which says, “No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them” (NIV).

After we die, it’s just a matter of time until only our closest friends and family remember us. Life moves on for the living, and eventually even they die. Which means that we probably don’t need to be so obsessed about leaving a grand legacy so we live on in the memories of others.

I think the solution is to simply live our lives in the present and with our loved-ones in mind. All that we really have is the present. Today, now, living our lives focused on what we can do to make the most of it and give of ourselves to our loved-ones.

I also think that in God’s original creative plan for man, the family was meant to be the center of our influence and our responsibility. We may have an impact upon people we meet or work with outside our families, but our primary sphere of life ought to center around our spouse and children.

A final thought that comes to me as I contemplate the meaning of Ecclesiastes 1:11 is that our life is really in the eternal world of the coming Kingdom of God, not this temporary world. I’m reminded of Philippians 3:20 that says, “our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV).