“He being dead still speaks”. – Hebrews 11:4

As parents, we may often wonder if our children are really hearing us.  As children we cringe and disparage challengingly corrective words which seem too harsh.  Then there comes that day in which the children become the parents.  Words that were sworn to never be used toward the next generation become the words of choice.  Really, choice may not be the most accurate description.  Those words seem to simply well up from some previously hidden place, and with very little thought attached to them.  It can be shocking.  Hearing the detested words of parents flowing from your own lips can be thought provoking.  Maybe there is then a new understanding of circumstances.  More, it may be that there is an embedded voice that we hear.  There is a truth in life.  The words and influence of those powerful examples in our lives often speak to us and through us, even though those parents and others may be long departed.  Fortunately, it is not just the words that were thought to never be expressed.  It may just as well be the words of love, courage, and wisdom.

There is the Old Testament story of the day before King Saul died.  He was in turmoil, and needed something that he did not find in the people around him.  He longed to hear the words of his old mentor and advisor, Samuel.  Years before that day Saul had rejected the instructions from Samuel.  In his hour of trial, the longing to hear the old prophet called to him.  It didn’t matter that Samuel had been dead for some time.  The strength of the past relationship called upon what he had seen and heard, regardless of how he had considered it in the past.  As unpleasant as it was, it was what Saul wanted and maybe needed.

Typically, we strive to weave our own unique paths through this life.  If we are honest with ourselves, we have to recognize that we have not walked an untread path.  There were others who walked before us.  As the faithful people of the past are described, the writer of Hebrews refers to the life and righteousness of Abel.  Though we know little of his life, and mostly remember that he was killed by his brother, it is his devotion to a righteous life that continues to speak.  Dead for thousands of years, his voice is still heard. 

In all civilized societies, and maybe even in those that are not so civilized, we hold tightly to the words of those who have walked the path before us.  In this country, we often quote our heroes.  Whether it is the well placed words of Thomas Jefferson, the challenging words of Patrick Henry, the final words of Nathan Hale, or the common statements of many others, we are reminded of our origins and the sacrificial work it took to establish this nation.  Perhaps no one in our history has been more quoted than Abraham Lincoln.  In such a way, he still speaks.  There have been many who have shared their insights of the growing pains of strife that have helped get us to where we are.  Their shared words of every cause have made a memorable mark.  It may be that few of those speakers were thinking of the lasting value of their words.  Still, their words expressed something of their personal visions as they looked well beyond their own times.  As Katharine Lee Bates shared, “O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years.”

Here is the reality.  There are special people who though they are long dead, still speak.  They speak because we remember.  One of the great values we can hold in our lives is the ability to draw upon the voices of those who are long gone.  Perhaps we ask, “What would Mom, Dad, or someone else say about these things.  Even if we don’t ask, the voice can still be heard. 

It is a blessing to be able to say, “I sill hear you.”

Russell L. Dyer – 4/16/2024