Rest in Peace

Driving through a town called Perrysville in central Ohio, I noticed a metal street sign that said, "Tom, Dick & Harry Road." The town's other streets had ordinary-sounding names: Pleasant, Walnut, Third. There was even a Sugar Alley. But, "Tom, Dick, and Harry Road"?

Unable to resist my curiosity, I steered my car down the short street past a couple of small houses. At the last house on the left, just before the dead end, a white-haired man and a young boy sat outside the front door. I pulled into the driveway and parked my car, and as I began to walk toward the house, the man called out, "I bet you're wondering about the name of the street!"

I nodded, and soon discovered that I was talking to Dick Echelberger, the only surviving member of the original Tom, Dick, and Harry team. Dick spoke fondly about his friends, Harry Willard ("A grand old fellow—I still put flowers on his grave") and Tom Christopher (who was a member of the Village Council for 20 years). Local leaders decided to keep the road named in honor of the three men who lived there. But it's been difficult, Dick explained, to keep people from stealing the sign as a keepsake!

Waving good-bye to Dick, I got back into my car and quickly turned off Tom, Dick & Harry Road onto State Route 39 for the ride home. I wondered, What would it be like to have a road named after you? My own name wouldn't look good on a street sign, I concluded. "Faust Road" doesn't have a good ring to it. "Dave Drive"? I don't think so.

The Bible mentions some famous roads. Jesus told about a wide road that leads to destruction and a narrow road that leads to life. He told about a man who was accosted by thieves on the winding road to Jericho. After encountering the Lord on the road to Damascus, where did Saul of Tarsus get his life straightened out? Appropriately enough, on Straight Street (Acts 9:11)! For nearly 2,000 years, Jesus' followers have rightly believed he is the road to Heaven—"the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6)—because we are convinced that Jesus truly has risen from the grave.

Sigmund Freud once referred to death as "the painful riddle" for which no remedy will ever be found. The average American life-span has increased by more than 30 years over the last century, but since there's still no death-prevention pill on the market, we try other ways to outfox death. Take vitamins. Eat right. Make a name for yourself so people will remember you after you're gone. Amass a large inheritance to pass along to your children. Create something tangible that will outlive you: write a book, build a house, establish a college scholarship fund, have a portrait made so future generations will remember your face. A fortunate few find themselves immortalized in the title of a corporation (Hewlett-Packard, Ford, Disney), a famous building (Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Memorial), or a product associated with their name (Calvin Klein, Bell Telephone). Some even have streets named after them.

But fame and wealth can't bring rest to our souls, and even noble human endeavors won't make a person live forever. Bodies wear out, buildings crumble, portraits fade, and money disappears.

There's only one road that's safe to travel when it's time to die. The road is called "Salvation in Christ," and it's open to every Tom, Dick, and Harry who wants to rest in peace.