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the question of legacy


Over the last several weeks some very famous people have died that have been talked about a lot in my circle.  Robin Williams made me laugh a lot from the time I was a kid through recent years as well.  Joan Rivers also gave people much to laugh about and to think about.  Neither of them claimed to be Christians in the media, but many Christians have shared how these people shaped their lives through TV and movies.  This week another great public figure passed away.  Truett Cathy was the founder of one of the greater chicken restaurants in of our day in Chik-fil-A.  Mr. Cathy lived by faith and shared his convictions in big ways.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

The question of legacy is a big one.  People will remember us after we have died.  They will take in the moments that we created with family.  Often we hear people talked about their regrets, and the biggest ones were not about possessions or positions but about people. 

What legacy will you and I leave for others?  Will they talk about how wicked or mean we were?  Maybe they will talk about our kindness and generosity.  I pray that people will remember the compassion and grace I showed to others.

Last week in Nicaragua was a life changing time for me and for our team, but I pray that it was life changing for the people we got to work with.  The man who started the ministry of Because We Care has been working in the same area for 15 years.  Donald and Pam Gillette have planted themselves in a place where few others have gone to serve, and their neighbors have seen God work through their lives.

Those children we interacted with that we couldn’t speak the same language with saw our love and our smiles.  Now I pray that we left them thinking about God and looking for how He is working around them.  God is always at work.

When we leave people thinking about us, we all lose.  When we leave people looking toward God, we all win.  That is what great legacy is all about.

Then they remembered that God was their rock, that God Most High was their redeemer.

Father, help us live in such a way that people see you and that our lives count for your kingdom and not ours.  May lives be changed because we show compassion like Jesus did.

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