It’s pretty simple actually. Regardless of your spiritual faith (and I’ll get to that part in a moment) we can all pretty much agree on one thing. YOU WILL DIE.
Yes, I know, that’s a really fun way to start off today’s blog, however, it is a true point. I remember a few years ago some neighborhood boys and myself went off on an adventure in the woods behind our home and stumbled across an old graveyard. There weren’t just a couple of graves there, there were many graves there. The kids were kind of spooked then they thought it was cool, I quickly got them out and headed back home,
Afterward, I went back out there to look on my own. The area had grown over with trees and weeds, many of the grave markers had been covered with weeds or black mold or they were broken in pieces on the ground. I was blown away. I was standing in an area that stood for the lives of many people. They lived years and years in town. They had families. They had stories and they had, well, they had been forgotten.
Could you imagine?! A graveyard of forgotten people. No visitors in decades and decades. Just gone.
What kind of life do you want to live? I know some people that ascribe to the fact that we just live and die. Nothing more, nothing less. I know of people that think we keep coming back. I know some who just don’t know and I know many, as I do myself, who feel this life is the beginning of something that lasts forever.
Back to the life lived now part. The concept of living a life just to die seems so pointless to me. Each person on this planet is a person of value and a person who can contribute to the life of others in a special way. To just do nothing and die is such a waste. But to live a life of legacy, that is an entirely different thing.
A person of legacy is a person of vision. A person of legacy is a person who loves and is loved. A person of legacy thinks more of others and desires to pour out of themselves into another.
Legacy breeds life and inspires generations. Maybe you don’t consider yourself that type of person just now, however, I am here to say, that person is YOU.
In an article written by Susan V. Bosak called:
What is Legacy by Susan V. Bosak Legacy Project
Susan shares a great point at the beginning of her article:
“
Legacy is about life and living. It’s about learning from the past, living in the present, and building for the future. Where do you think it’s best to plant a young tree: a clearing in an old-growth forest or an open field? Ecologists tell us that a young tree grows better when it’s planted in an area with older trees. The reason, it seems, is that the roots of the young tree are able to follow the pathways created by former trees and implant themselves more deeply. Over time, the roots of many trees may actually graft themselves to one another, creating an intricate, interdependent foundation hidden under the ground. In this way, stronger trees share resources with weaker ones so that the whole forest becomes healthier. That’s legacy: an interconnection across time, with a need for those who have come before us and a responsibility to those who come after us.”
An interconnection across time, with a need for those who have come before us and a responsibility to those who come after us. What a great way to define a legacy. And to understand that we are like trees grafted into each other, rooted together, not only makes it seem so much stronger to think of the connection but the way that legacy and tradition and family makes all the difference in the world.
When I saw all those old grave markers and old foliage in the woods surrounding it, my heart broke and I actually cried out there in the woods that day by myself. I mourned the loss of those people and even more for the loss of the people that came after. The emptiness and perhaps even a complacency that a generation must have felt seems overwhelming.
My friend, as I face my mortality in a brutal way some days, I think about legacy. I also appreciate the article we just read that highlights the importance of community. The old with the new, the new with the old and a place where they all grow and are nourished together.
-The emptiness and perhaps even a complacency that a generation must have felt seems overwhelming.
I am hoping that this short blog today can be a reflection for you. A reflection of your own life. Does your life look like that old graveyard with dead trees and broken grave markers, or is it a thriving place of life? As long as you are still breathing, you have a choice to live and lead a legacy and I would hope you would.
Death in itself is hard enough. I feel blessed to have an assurance that when I die, it’s not over and there is something great I get to go to. I am so grateful for the life and legacy lived out by the man named Jesus Christ. His life has taught me so much in the short time I have been on this planet and has done so for generations and generations around the globe. THAT is also legacy. If you’d like to know more about this man and what I have found that changed my life, feel free to reach out to me and I’d be happy to share that with you.
You can also visit my main site at http://www.godsgotthis.love and I have many resources available for you there as well. This week, I am so excited (and wore out) to share with you our new week of ministry. If you have not gotten plugged in yet, please visit the site and simply sign up. Each Monday we send out the MONDAY MAGAZINE that will highlight the featured ministry of the week. Tuesday is the HOPE REVEALED podcast, now online and also available on iTunes, on Wednesday you can tune into our YouTube channel for our new show called REVEALING HOPE, on Thursdays you can read a new blog post here at #GodsGotThis Blog and Fridays I will post a short devotional vlog designed to encourage you in your faith. So, there is a lot available and even more to come!!!
If you are able or feel led at all, we greatly appreciate your support of our ministry and help in covering the expenses of all we do and are preparing even more to do. We value any gift and really hope and pray you consider adding us to your monthly giving, we have the 3:30 A Time For Hope campaign and appreciate any monthly partnership with Matt Crump Ministries Inc. You can find out more at http://www.godsgotthis.love/donations
Thank you again so much for being a part and I hope you choose this week to be Living Your Legacy and never forget… #GODSGOTTHIS!