Chapter nineteen
A BOOK FOR ALL TIMES
Apart from the Bible and other religious books, many other books have found their way into the catalog of must read books for all times as well. These books are constantly being reviewed, language style changed and back covers redesigned to ensure they stay ahead and afresh with changing style and generations. These books are still as important as they were in their inceptions.
Books like Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Churchill Whitson, Mohammed Gandhi etc. will forever remain in the minds of generations who would always remember their good works much after they had gone. These persons are continuously being heard and listened even after they lived. Their names are sources of inspiration for philanthropic organizations and change causers.
Have you ever asked yourself why this is so? A little pondering, you will realize that they lived their lives as truth worthy persons carrying out the task in which they had set their minds to with all diligence, truthfulness, and determination. They earned their “forever” status by their quest and passion to become shining lights wherever they found themselves.
You sure want to leave a lasting legacy. You’d love to be an Aristotle, Plato or Socrates who are forever remembered. You want to be quoted long after you are gone. You want to be a book for all times. Everyone does but only a few do get it right. Plato was not the only pupil of Aristotle’s Academy but he ended up as the most notable student of Aristotle. There sure has to be some demarcation between those who just want to be associated with greatness and those who want to be great.
Forever is so long a time but your impact and influence could live that long, the greatest inventor; Jesus lived only briefly but his short stay was so meaningful that two thousand years after he was gone, he is still always, quoted, remembered and modeled after.
Frontline achievers live their lives, not thinking of present benefits but of future accomplishments. Their goal is a better gun for the future. To them, the future has more to offer. As much as they are doing well in the present, their mind is preoccupied not too much with the extra benefits of now but with the better future tomorrow presents.
Do you want to be a lasting book? Yes! You sure want to be. Sometimes in your meditations, you might have wondered upon the lives of someone you call your mentor. For some you’ve seen them while for others, you only heard of their exploits yet they have been sources of inspiration from their books, tapes, and videos. Many of yesterday’s greats are still impacting on lives today, thanks to evolving technology. The impact those lives are making even after they are gone is a reminder of the fact that you too can outlive the life you are living.
You will outlive present time if you live right, there must be a conscious effort to impart and impact lives positively. That is the ultimate secret to living beyond present time. A songwriter says thus “you will only be remembered by the things you have done, by the lives you have touched.” Those who will ensure your book lives on are those readers who are passing the story along from one generation to another.
No book out places the Bible in readership and number in circulation. Yes! No book compares the Bible, but your life can also be a Bible leading others to a direction of light. The notable minister once remarked that if a new bible was to be written, it could contain current day ministers due to their exploits. Of course, the Bible is unchanging in the message but it has many variances to ensure the same message is communicated to both the knowledgeable and wise, foolish and smart.
So here you go, let your light so shine before all men that all may see your good works and glorify your Father that is in heaven. Shine out the light. Live on, live on shine!!!