Being the Menards Guy

Ray Szmanda passed away this week.  And you think, “Who’s that?  I don’t know Ray Szmanda.”  But you do.  You know who he is, at least.  If you watched local television from 1976 through 1998, you saw him any number of times.  Ray Szmanda was “The Menards Guy”.

If you saw the ads, you remember them.  He was an older guy, white hair, big glasses.  He would, with great enthusiasm, tell you all the specials at Menards and encourage you to use “The Menards BIG card” to pay for them.  You could “Save BIG money at Menards!”

When I heard of his death, I wondered.  How did he feel about going through life as “The Menards Guy”?  I mean, it’s not like that’s something you dream about when you’re a kid.  You dream about being a ball player or an actor or a musician.  You dream about being a doctor or a lawyer or a CEO.  Or, maybe you dream about being a farmer or a mechanic.  But you probably don’t dream about being “The Menards Guy”.

But on the other hand, it’s something.  Most of us, throughout our lives, are not really known for anything.  I mean, our family and friends know who we are.  Depending on what we do in our lives, there might be a handful of other people who know who we are.  But for most of us, that’s about it.  Ray Szmanda for better or worse, was at least known for something.  His obituary appeared in newspapers all around the country.

But in the end, it really doesn’t matter that much one way or another.  Because any fame that we achieve on earth is fleeting.  Think about it.  How many people who were alive a hundred years ago are still remembered today?  Very few.  I mean, you might know you ancestors in your family, but generally, how many are there?  A few political leaders.  A few entertainers, maybe.  A handful of authors.  That’s about it.  And if you go back two hundred years, three hundred years, the number gets smaller.  It’s such a low percentage of people that it probably wouldn’t even register.

But the thing is, God knows all of them.  God knows every person who was alive a hundred years ago.  God knows every person who was alive a thousand years ago.  God knows every person who was alive two thousand years ago, three thousand years ago.  God knows everything they did, everything they said, everything they thought.  Because each and every person is important to God.

And of course, that includes you.  And it includes me.  God knows everything we do or say or think.  As Psalm 139 says:  “You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.  You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.  Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.”  The world may never know or soon forget who we are and what we do.  But the Lord God never will.  And I think that’s pretty cool.