How would you like to have that said about you at your funeral, that no one was going to miss you and, in fact, all were glad you were gone? This was the epithet of the sixth king in the dynastic line of David:

“Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.” (2 Chron. 21:20 NIV)

Most of us don’t model our lives after the sixth king in the line of King David’s descendants. Jehoram killed all his brothers to secure the throne, and he married the daughter of King Ahab of the northern ten tribes of Israel—remember, he was the one married to the infamous Jezebel! They were the quintessential power couple of the day and embodied all that was opposite to living by faith in the true God, Yahweh of Israel. Jehoram followed his in-laws’ example and led the southern tribe of Judah into idolatry. You can read all about the gory details of his life, rule, and demise in Scripture.

The phrase, “He passed away, to no one’s regret,” is a classic Hebrew understatement and means the people were glad to see him gone—good riddance! Not one single person wished he was still alive. Not even God. Wham!

But what does this say to you and me today? I don’t want that said about me! I want people to miss me; I want my life to positively impact others and be significant to other people’s well-being. Yes, I know we are all valuable to God principally because we were made in His image, but I want to be considered valuable to others in my time on earth. I don’t want to be satisfied with just going to heaven, but I want the Lord to say my life was well-lived as He gives me a rich welcome into heaven.

So how can we live that kind of life, one of influence and significance? Some think influence is measured by the number of “followers” you have on social media. Others try to find their significance in great works of benevolence and charitable giving. Others want their fifteen minutes of fame or to see their name on the marque or book cover. What does Jesus say?

“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.” (Matt. 10:42)

This is the kind of life that God notices and rewards, as we read elsewhere:

For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. (Heb. 6:10)

I know some men who had a burden for the homeless in our area. They decided to go to a nearby homeless encampment regularly and bring food coupons and the hope of Jesus Christ to the men and women struggling with daily living. They overcame the temptation to judge those people as being lazy, copping out on life. The homeless were there, and they were, er—homeless. Another couple carries fast food gift cards to hand out along with a gospel tract. A $10 coupon will buy a hamburger, fries, and a drink. Ten of those will feed one meal to ten people—and make a real impact on those lives. If these examples don’t resonate with you, how about exchanging a propensity to criticize others for a commitment to say words of encouragement and affirmation? Or cover a young couple’s childcare costs so they can go out on a date night? You get the idea—where do your mind and heart take you as you springboard into living a life of more influence and significance? God notices it all.

If you want to flesh out this line of thinking a little more, meditate on this passage from the apostle Peter, and notice that last verse.

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ … in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. (2 Peter 1:5–11, emphasis added)

Now that is a life of significance and influence! And if that is how you live your life, then it will never be said that you died “to no one’s regret.”