Relationship with God the one that matters

I visited with my cousin this past week and one of the things we talked about was our kinship to Mark Twain.

According to written family records and oral family history, all my first cousins, aunts and great aunts long and adamantly maintained that the Densford side of our family (my mother’s side) is related to the famous writer.

As a child, it was always a real thrill for me to tell that I was related to Twain. In grade school once we were reading some short story by Twain, and I announced to the class that I was kin to him. I had a great amount of pride in telling that and further my teacher was impressed.

Some time ago, I found an account of my ancestor Mark Twain and this story addresses this fame business. In addition, this story calls for some complementation on a deeper level as well.

With his writings like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain’s fame began to spread literally throughout the world. He was not only acclaimed in America as a great literary figure but his celebrity began to take hold even in Europe. As a result of his success, he traveled abroad, because his great success in writing allowed him to journey to many places around the world.

This story centered around one of his trips to Europe. On this particular occasion, he took along his little girl. The youngster was just amazed that everywhere they went, they were met with crowds that came out to see her father. Crowds gathered at every stop to admire and catch a glimpse of her father. On this particular trip, they were even celebrated by royalty.

In every city where they stopped throughout Europe, they would socialize and meet with the well-known and influential — from scientists to government officials to musicians to writers.

To his little daughter, Mark Twain was just plain “Daddy” and she had a little trouble understanding why everyone made such a fuss over him. She saw while on this trip how her father attracted hundreds of people, honoring him as a very important person of the day. Reports of his visits made the newspapers in the cities that he toured.

Written commentaries tell about what kind of impression this trip made on the little girl. Toward the end of the long trip, she made the remark to her daddy: “Well Papa, it seems that you just about know everyone in the whole wide world but God!”

I have seen in my lifetime that is possible to have scores of influential friends and associates and yet not know God. Some people are very good at “name dropping.” I suppose they feel a higher feeling of self-esteem if they think others know that they in turn are acquainted with someone important.

Still some think that those aquatinted with those in government, commerce or entertainment believe that those connections are valuable and help to make life secure.

On the other hand, a person may be acquainted with no one who is famous, influential, wealthy or powerful. But does it make a difference?

Perhaps the words from the Gospel of Mark might be appropriate when thinking about this issue of fame and position in this world:

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)

All that would make no difference on one’s deathbed. At last breath, what matters? Is it worldwide recognition, how many influential people one knows or a relationship with Christ?

It would be sad to make it to the peak of success in this life, have far reaching influence, be world renowned, and still not know God — like Mark Twain.

Jesus said: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Greg Laurie, author and pastor, went even further when he said: “To have Christ in my life, to have his leading, to have his guidance, to have his blessing, to have these standards to live by and to guide my life by ... I would be a Christian for these things alone. If neither heaven nor God’s plan to live eternally were promised to me, it has been worth it just having the Lord in my life. But the good news, friend, is there is a heaven. There is an afterlife. There is the hope that every Christian has: life — and that more abundantly.”

Laurie is right. The good news is that there is heaven and life abundant through Jesus Christ.

Judy Brandon writes about faith for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at: [email protected]