He Was a Good Man

This is Part 2 of the Legacy Builders mini-series about the legacies we build for others to follow – or refrain from.

About sixteen years ago last week, my paternal grandfather Claude went Home to God after battling lung cancer and various ailments at the age of 83. From that week, I recall people stopping by the house and funeral home daily sharing their memories of him:  to me, my brother, and the rest of the cousins of our generation, he was just Granddaddy. One thing that kept coming up – particularly at his memorial service – was that he was remembered as a good man.

What did that mean to a college junior who simply assumed he would always be there?

Obviously, I had just lost a grandparent whom I was close to and being thrust into the role of family spokesperson hurt. It was a difficult week for all of us – and I still had to drive back and forth to Arkadelphia at least twice that week to take care of our work schedule while I was away. As my little white Mercury cruised up and down Interstate 30, I had to figure out what I wanted to say; how the front end would do with any combination of Tim, Trey, or Nicole running things during the evenings as I tended to family business; and what to wear. [Keep in mind this was in 2000. I had to find something to wear other than baseball caps, Abercrombie t-shirts, and cargo shorts for the first time since the last funeral I attended].

Claude Armstrong was not a wealthy or famous man in terms of dollars and branding his name, yet he was a good man. Anyone who stopped by (what used to be) the tan brick house on Markham Street across from Hendrix College would agree to the same statement.

Proverbs 22:1 teaches us a unique wisdom in the verse “A good name is more desirable than great riches”. While it is good to make a fistful of dollars and/or become well-known with a resume full of accolades and assorted superlatives, the thing that matters most from God’s perspective is how we live our lives. Are we visiting the sick and shut-in? Do others see that little light shining through in the midst of a dark world? Is giving a natural thing, or are we still takers only? What is the first thing that comes to mind when our names are spoken as descriptors? 

Losing a righteous man is no small thing and having that legacy of his works is what we all should be seeking for the glory of God.