A Faith-Filled Legacy
I intend on living a long, long time!
I have asked the Lord to let me live until 96 ~ as long as my mind is still intact, of course!
And to further the possibility of a sharp mind as the years rapidly pass by, every day I declare, “The memory of the righteous is blessed!” – Proverbs 10:7
But the truth is that none of us gets out of here alive. We will all face our mortality some day.
Craig and I don’t have much to leave our children in terms of worldly wealth. We have spent our entire life in ministry and our income has never been very impressive. However, what we have received in terms of friendship, honor and eternal blessings has been priceless!
I have been thinking lately about what words of wisdom I would want to leave my 5 children, their spouses and thus far 7 grandchildren. I don’t mean for that to be a morbid thought but for it to be a compelling thought! I believe that what we leave behind philosophically may be grander and of greater value than stocks, bonds or cold, hard cash.
When you leave the confines of earth, what nuggets of truth do you want your family to remember from having watched you live your life to the fullest?
When your name is recalled at the family dinner table over the next 50 or so years … what are the statements that you would like connected to your memory?
These are the 10 faith-filled facts that I hope to be my legacy for the entire family McLeod and for those yet to come:
1 – The Bible is true. Every word … every verse … every sentence holds eternal truth. Honestly, in life, nothing else really matters but believing that the Bible is the rich depository of the mind and thoughts of a loving Father. Never forget that you had a mom who believed the Bible.
2 - Take Scripture seriously. Pour over the Word of God prayerfully. God is real through His Word. You must not only believe that the Bible is true but you must also apply it to your life. I know that physics is true but I don’t spend one minute of my day pondering the application of physics to my life. Knowing that the Bible is true and then applying it to your personal life are two different actions completely. Always remember that your mom took Scripture seriously and personally.
3 - Jesus loves you and He likes you. He can’t get enough of you! He is cheering you on and is praying for you as you encounter the rocky waters of earth bound living. He takes delight in you and is singing over your life today … and tomorrow … and every day. The Father believes in you. You are His grand masterpiece! And oh! The plans that He has for you!
4 - You don’t have a better idea than God. There are times when you might think that you have a better idea than He does … but believe me when I say that presumptuous notion is merely pride rearing its ugly head. Submit your will and your way to all that He is and to all that He said in His Word.
5 - You can choose joy … believe me! Of all of the things that I have learned in life … I know this one to be true! Don’t allow your circumstances to determine your mood. Your thought life has the power to transform your emotional balance. What is going on around you should never undermine the joy that is within you. Joy is a rare and miraculous choice in a world that is rife with pain, disappointment and discouragement. You were made for joy! Your life is the perfect fit for the joy of His presence!
6 - Be the most grateful person of your generation. Gratitude is an oft-forgotten secret of living well. When you are discouraged – default to gratitude. When you are emotionally unstable – count your blessings. When someone has hurt your feelings – make a list of the things for which you are grateful. Remind yourself often of the words of Paul and of the Holy Spirit, “In EVERYTHING give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning YOU!” – I Thessalonians 5:18
7 - Be the kindest person alive at your moment in history. Kindness matters. It matters very much. Kindness matters more than your opinions and more than your comfort. When a mere mortal, made in the image of God, chooses to exhibit kindness when the rest of the world is bathed in cruelty and sarcasm, that human being is engaging in the business of the Father. It is in our DNA. We were created for kindness to ooze out of our pores when others choose to be hateful or uncaring.
8 - Living for eternal truth is hard but it is worth it. The choice to live for Christ is not an easy one. Men and women have been martyred for the cause of Christ. They have been imprisoned for preaching truth. They have been beaten for speaking the truth of the Gospel. What makes you think that your life will be any easier? Perhaps it is in persecution that abundant life is truly found. So – don’t expect the crowd to agree with you. Don’t anticipate flowers being thrown along the pathway of truth or for your generation to applaud your commitment to Christ. If you are one of the people of your generation who is chosen to suffer for Christ … count it all joy!
9 - You choose your own eternity. Believe it or not … you will grow old someday and will be faced with your mortality. Or, you might be called to leave this life earlier than you had hoped. We have each been given the opportunity by our Creator to choose where we will spend eternity. I can’t choose for you and you can’t choose for me. Eternity is a certainty not a fairy tale. Eternity is in all of our futures. You can choose heaven by choosing Jesus. Or you can choose hell by refusing the invitation to come to Him. You choose.
“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.” – C. S. Lewis
10 – And finally, my dear family whom I have loved more than life itself, may I ask you a question? Rather than offering you one more nugget of truth, let me close by asking you a question that I hope you will ask yourself every day for the rest of your earthbound life. “Have you read your Bible today?”
Thanks for listening to my heart this week. As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me. And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!