Most of us secretly want to be remembered.
We want our lives to matter. We want to leave a legacy. It’s why people chase achievements, build businesses, write books, create content, and work hard to establish a legacy. We want someone, somewhere, someday to remember that we were here.
In recent years, genealogy websites have become wildly popular. Millions of people spend hours tracing family trees, searching immigration records, and uncovering the names of relatives they never knew existed. There’s something fascinating about discovering a name that has survived for generations.
But there’s also something sobering about it. For every name that is remembered, there are countless others that have been forgotten.
Even the names we do recover are usually little more than names. We know they existed, but we don’t really know them.
Genesis 36 ends with a long list of names. Chiefs, leaders, rulers, and descendants of Esau are carefully recorded for history. Their names survived thousands of years. They definitely accomplished enough to earn a place in the biblical record.
Genesis 36:40-43, New International Version
40 These were the chiefs descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.
This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.
But…there is a noticeable silence.
There is no indication that they knew the Lord. They were remembered in history but disconnected from the Lord’s covenant people.
That’s the tragedy hidden in this genealogy.
Many people spend their lives pursuing significance, influence, wealth, or recognition. They work tirelessly to make sure their name is known. Yet Jesus reminds us that there is something far more important than having people remember your name.
The greatest question is whether the Lord knows you.
One day, every achievement will fade. Every title will be passed to someone else. Every accomplishment will eventually be forgotten. Even the most celebrated names in history grow dim with time.
Take five minutes today to honestly evaluate what occupies most of your energy and attention. Ask yourself: “What am I most afraid of losing? Is it my reputation, my accomplishments, or my relationship with the Lord?” Then spend time in prayer asking the Lord to help you pursue what has eternal value.
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