What Will They Say of Me

It’s always heart-breaking when someone passes away, but there’s something especially tragic about a sudden, unexpected death or the death of someone young.

I’ll never forget seeing on Instagram one night a few years ago about the death of a young man in a car accident. I had seen him in pictures with a girl I followed and knew they were very close. I thought they would make a great couple, and I assumed that was the direction the relationship was headed. And then, suddenly, he was gone.

I sat on my bed and looked at post after post about this young man who was around the same age as me and bawled my eyes out. I didn’t even know him, knew nothing but his name and what I could see in a few Instagram pictures, but something about his death shook me. It tore my heart in two to think of such a promising life cut so short, and to see so many heartfelt posts from his friends expressing love and admiration for him.

Fast forward to 2019. Another Godly young person gone too soon…

My mind is drawing a blank on what month it was, but I will never forget seeing the beautiful face of Katelyn Brake flooding my social media feeds. She had celebrated her 27th birthday just a few weeks before she, too, was killed in a tragic car accident. I read countless posts from people who knew her or had even just met her once or twice. The overall consensus was that this young lady was one passionately pursuing Jesus, sowing into the lives of other young people, and shining her light everywhere she went.

Now, just a few weeks ago, the entire world learned of the sudden, tragic death of basketball legend, Kobe Bryant and his teenage daughter, Giana (or Gigi, for short), along with seven other passengers in a helicopter crash. Prior to that January morning, I knew Kobe was a famous basketball star, but I knew nothing else about him or his life. But overnight, he was suddenly all anyone was talking about and I learned quite a bit about the man, particularly his well-known love of being a #GirlDad. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to see the picture of him and Gigi smiling on the sidelines of a basketball game without getting a little misty-eyed. 

Whether it’s the death of a young man who dreamed of being a preacher, a beautiful young lady that was a pillar of leadership in her church, or a world-renowned celebrity, it shakes us up. It shakes me up and makes me ask myself this question: “What will they say of me?” If something were to happen to me, what would the world say of Ashton Elizabeth Hayes Dorow?

I hope and pray that people would say I was loving, kind, a good friend, a Godly example… a light for Jesus to anyone looking. The list could go on and on.

Matthew 5:16 says:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

King James Version

My greatest desire is to fulfill this instruction from Jesus Himself and know that I did everything I could to shine my light and glorify Him on this earth. I want everything I say and do to be a testimony of goodness and grace.

How tragic is it when someone dies and their family or “friends” can’t find much good to say about them? I don’t wish to be one of those people, and I’m sure you don’t either. So let me ask you—what will people say of you when your time comes? Will you be known for your “good works” which glorify God, would you be known for showing the fruits of the spirit?

Will you leave the world as a better place than it was when you were put in it?