You In a Sentence

By Tim Bentum  |  September 8th

Sometimes Scripture gives us an entire life in a sentence. A person appears briefly in the biblical story, and the few words used to describe them become the way they are remembered.

Recently, I was reading through 3 John, and I couldn’t help but notice John’s short but piercing description of a man named Diotrephes. Diotrephes was evidently a leader in the early church who was causing divisions and seeking to maintain control in unhealthy and even ‘malicious’ ways. We do not know much about him, as he does not appear again in the Bible. But one of the few things we do know about him is that he ‘loves to be first’ (1:9).

Ouch. What a way to be remembered!

It made me wonder: if your whole life were eventually boiled down to one sentence, what would you want people to say about you?

This may seem like a difficult idea for each of us to come to terms with. However, to drive the point home, I recently heard a pastor ask his congregation to raise their hands if they could name their parents, and their grandparents by first name. Almost all hands went up. Then he asked if they could name their great-grandparents by first name. Almost no hands went up, save for a few.

Our detailed knowledge of our own family fades remarkably quickly. Even very famous people are often not well remembered without an internet search, and even then, the specific details of their lives are usually largely lost to history.

For example, if you were to go back 25 years to 2001—about one generation—could you recall who Canada’s prime minister was without an internet search? Or, going back 50 years to 1976—about two generations—could you recall who our prime minister was then? If you are a history buff, perhaps you named Jean Chrétien and Pierre Trudeau, respectively. In retrospect, thinking about these two very famous individuals in Canadian life, what could you say about them 25 and 50 years later? My contention is that most Canadians, depending on their age, might be able to summarize the lives of both national leaders in only a sentence or two but will not be able to recall much more detail than that.

The point in all of this is that, at some point in the not-too far-off future, your life will likely not be remembered very clearly by most people—not even by your own relatives. At best, you might get a sentence. This is perhaps a painful thought, but I think it is overwhelmingly true and something worth grappling with as part of your leadership journey.

Interestingly, in the Bible, we get some of these ‘sentences’ about many individuals, including people who are not very well known. For example, in sharp contrast to Diotrephes in 3 John, just a few sentences later we meet Demetrius, who was also evidently a leader in the early church and is not named elsewhere in the Bible. John describes Demetrius as ‘well spoken of by everyone’ (1:12).

Two people in the early church, same chapter of the Bible, but two very different descriptions that have followed them through history.

To illustrate the point further, here are some other very short ‘sentences’ describing some perhaps lesser-known women and men in the Bible that are worth meditating on:

• Shiphrah and Puah – ‘the midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.’ (Exodus 1:17)
• Men of Issachar – ‘men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do’ (1 Chronicles 12:32)
• Hanani – ‘he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do.’ (Nehemiah 7:2)
• Mordecai – ‘held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.’ (Esther 10:3)
• Tabitha (Dorcas) – ‘she was always doing good and helping the poor’ (Acts 9:36)
• Barnabas – ‘he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith’ (Acts 11:24)

With another school year just around the corner, it is worth reflecting on your ‘sentence’—particularly from a leadership perspective. If you fast-forward to your retirement, or perhaps even your own eventual funeral, how would you like people in your community to remember you?

Chances are, over the long run, you will likely get only about one sentence.

And yet, there is grace in knowing that our lives are not ultimately reduced to a sentence. Although much of who we are will be overwhelmingly forgotten by others, we have the immense privilege of serving a God who remembers and knows us completely. As Christ-followers, we stand at the intersection of dust and divinity. May you experience the overwhelming love, grace, and mercy of Jesus as you lead this year.

Tim Bentum is the Director of Leadership and External Relations at Edvance.