Last Saturday, I was privileged to spend precious minutes with a dear, old friend, Mr. E., who was on his way home to Heaven. As I knelt by his bedside, cherished memories flashed onto the movie screen of my mind . . . of shared laughter, practical jokes, home movies, snowbound days (weeks!), hilarious episodes of water volleyball, neighborhood Christmas parties and long talks sharing our love for our Lord Jesus. Mr, E. and his wife were our long-time, next-door neighbors at the lake of my childhood.
I am grieving . . . Not only for the loss of a dear friend (he and his wife were like family to me!) but for part of myself. It feels to me like when someone close to me dies, part of me goes with them, that part of my life . . . my history . . . that no one else experienced with me.
Mr. E.'s "tent"here on earth was worn and thread-bare, but his spirit was healthy, whole and at peace. He was ready to go and looking forward to his new home. His only expressed regret was leaving his wife of many years. We talked about the reality that he would soon be greeted by my parents with open arms and I asked him to give them a hug from me.
God's comforting and assuring presence was strong as Mr. E, his wife and I talked with God together by his bedside. Formidable mountains of daily duties and events that consume a vast amount of time crumbled into bits and pieces of dust as I contemplated the reality of Heaven. There is something about spending time with one who will soon make that short journey from this world to the next that propels Heaven into stark focus, illuminated as the true reality that it is . . . a forever world, one far more solid than anything I have or will experience here on earth.
Mr. E. leaves behind a rich legacy of grasping with a willing hand many opportunities to share God's love and His Word. He modeled for His children a godly heritage as he lived to please the One he loved the most, His gracious heavenly Father.
Today I hold the "Key of Legacy" in my hand and shiver as I consider the sight that awaits me behind this door. Will I see a sample of my own legacy, broken bits and crumbs of good deeds and kind words that have fallen on the path I traversed so far? With wide expanses of empty space in between? Merely a trail of tiny scatterings left on the pathway I have walked for over sixty years?
Somehow I gather courage and open the door. To my surprise, the only vision is one of three huge, empty stairs leading upwards. Where could they lead? But wait. At my feet is a small piece of notepaper, handwritten with a list of three directions. As I bend down to pick it I realize that I had a misguided idea all along. Evidently, I am not permitted to see any part of my legacy that is in behind me; rather I am being encouraged me to move forward. The brief list is entitled: "Steps to Leaving Your Legacy." Rather than examining my past, mistakes and all, I am compelled to turn my focus to the future.
If I am to live an Abundant Life, I need to Live out my Legacy. So how do I live in a way that makes a legacy possible?
Step #1 tells me to journey in the Kingdom of Life. I need to remind myself constantly that my life on earth is fading fast. The moment we are born we are born we begin our journey to Eternity.
"The Bible makes it clear that two kingdoms co-exist in this world: the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Light. Each person is traveling toward eternity in one of these kingdoms." (The View From Eternity study, authored by myself) Because I love Jesus and have accepted His costly gift of payment for my sins and eternal life, I know I am traveling in the Kingdom of Light. That is the first step to leaving behind a worthwhile legacy.
Step #2 says to intentionally determine to live in the way that makes a legacy possible. I do want to make good use of my allotted time on this earth. I do not want to waste the one life God has given to me, but to live in a way that will enable me to know God's heart and to demonstrate the love of His heart to others.
But I falter when I consider the type of legacy I have the capability of living on my own. I know I am a frail human being, susceptible to sin and failure.
Step #3 provides the answer to my problem! I must determine to leave behind a legacy that shows the world not how good I am, but how good my God is! In order to do that, my focus cannot be on my own actions, but on desiring God's purposes . . . to live in a way that will enable me to know His heart and to demonstrate the love His heart to others.
So please join me as together we continue onward up the steps to the future, trusting God to piece together a legacy for us as we focus on following Him alone.
REMINDER: Make note of the first letter of this Key and add it to the key from last week and you are on your way to solving the next word puzzle! Be patient; it will probably take a few more weeks until you are ready to make a guess.
Have you signed up yet for your free e-book, Joshua's Story, a true pro-life story of the birth of my youngest son?
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