Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. – Genesis 23:1

Today's Scripture Reading (August 21, 2021): Genesis 23

As I write this, my grandmother is 106. She is and always has been a remarkable woman. Her presence in my life has been a great benefit, not only to me but to anyone who came in contact with her. She is an excellent example of a godly woman, and I can't imagine what my life would be like without her.

I have a cousin who loves to tell stories of his time with Grandpa and Grandma. My grandfather was a builder, a large man who was used to hard work and very talented at home construction. According to my cousin, a phrase I will explain later, my grandfather caught him nailing into some finishing boards that Grandpa had just purchased. Apparently, my grandfather immediately took off chasing after my cousin. (I am not sure what he was going to do with him if he caught him.) My cousin ran, my grandfather ran, until the moment when my grandmother stepped out of the house and sternly spoke one word; "Murray" (my grandfather's name). Immediately, my grandfather stopped the chase, proving to my cousin the importance of my grandmother's voice. I asked my grandmother about the incident a few years ago, and she insists the story is apocryphal. I know that one day, my grandmother will pass away. It is not a day I am looking forward to, but the memory of her life will carry on in all who knew her.

Sarah lived for a hundred and twenty-seven years. The keyword in that sentence is that she lived. When we say that someone lived for a certain number of years, that usually speaks more about the time of their death than about their life. But that doesn't seem to be the intention of this statement. Young's Literal Translation phrases the verse this way; "And the life of Sarah is a hundred and twenty and seven years -- years of the life of Sarah." I love the emphasis, "years of the life," because it was the life that was important and not the date of her death.  Sarah influenced those who knew her. Those who knew her shared stories about her, both good and bad. But everyone who knew her was thankful for the one hundred and twenty-seven years that Sarah spent with them.  

Sarah is the only woman in the Bible whose age at the time of death was recorded, a note of the importance of her life. But it is always the years we live and the influence that we share that is critical. It is the lesson that we should learn from the life of Sarah, and we should go and follow her example with the years that we have left to be an influence on this planet. What will people remember about the years of your life? For all of us, my prayer is that the memories of our lives will have a positive influence on those who live on after us.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 24