Day 294 - The End of Your Life

"Nana was gone. Her closest relatives had all came today to say goodbye. Jess wrote the following in an e-mail to our staff: The family has said goodbye to our beautiful nana Ellen. Tonight she closed her eyes and woke up with our Jesus. She was the best mom, and grandma anyone could have. She loved people with all her heart and she loved Jesus."

I could have included my entire journal entry from this day last year but I am sure you don't want to read the details of soccer practice and grocery shopping in between the point of what this day was all about. Here was a woman who simply loved people and loved Jesus. She would recall her favorite moments again and again and loved to talk. She had a flare for life. She would order things from Home Shopping Network and immediately return it or tuck it away and never use it. We all laughed about it with her. She loved to cook for her family. 

All these things are happy memories but even more so they are her legacy and they have have shaped individuals and families. The real point of what I am saying here is not about my wife's Nana. It is really about you. What will people say when you are gone? What will the legacy be that you leave? 

Life is too short to mess around. We must love passionately and let people know we love them. We must witness like Jesus is coming back today (because if it was the Will of the Father He could). We must work and build for the future and for our families and future generations. As we do the legacy we leave will be one worth having. 

You may have heard the story of the man who had been working with explosives and became wealthy through his work. When his brother passed away there was an error in the newspaper and the reporter did an obituary on this man instead of his brother. It was all about how he had merchandised death and his life was destructive from that point of view. The man decided to change his legacy and poured himself into more honorable pursuits and rewarded others for the same. That man was Alfred Nobel who the Nobel Peace Prize is named after. 

If you don't like the answer you came up with when I asked what would people say about you then it is time to make some changes. You can as long as you have breath in your lungs. It is like a friend of mine used to say to me from his seat in a wheelchair with a smile on his face; 'Any day above ground is a good one.' Now I happen to know that the day of a Christian's death is much better than thousands of days here on the earth but I get what he was saying. 

Let's live and love and leave a legacy so that when we go into eternity people speak of the wonderful things we have done and the impact we had on their lives. 

If you could write your own obituary what would it say? Are there any that you have heard of or read in the Bible or somewhere else that you admired the person after hearing it? Who and why? 

Day 13 - Legacy

"I gave my son my Bible from when I was a kid. It was neat to see how my mom had dated it from 1985. Almost 30 years later here I am handing it to my son. He was so excited and wanted to have me read from it tonight. What a treasure to pass on the same Bible that I remember going through and looking at all the pictures placed throughout the pages. Maybe it was those pictures and stories that gave me such a love of the Bible early on. That and my parents prayers and example for sure."

It is so important as parents to connect with our children as much as we can. Often my children will ask me what my childhood was like. I realize that they want to relate with me. With as much responsibility as I have and the demands that come with life and ministry I try to get time every day to connect with my children and show them love. Some days it is quantity, all days I go for quality.

My brother-in-law recently preached about love. More specifically how we can show love. He made the statement that we can show love because we have received the love of God. It is so true. How could I show my children love if I had never been loved? My parents have been examples of godliness and have influenced me to be a better person and Christian. I know they pray for me. They have left a legacy that I am now giving to my children.

Even if you didn't have great parents or if you don't have children you can leave a legacy. People are always watching. You have influence! God made you for this time and placed you where you are for a purpose. Your Heavenly Father has loved you and given you everything you need to impact earth and eternity!

Do you have anything your parents gave you (physically or through example) that you want to pass on to your children? What kind of legacy are you building?