As I get older, the reality of the ephemeral nature of this life becomes more apparent. We don't much think about it until you get that phone call. "Yeah, Ron and his family just told the church that he has throat cancer. His doctor's are saying it looks like a year or so." Or you come into class and your teacher is out for a "simple" doctor visit and you find out the next year that she's had surgery to remove a cancerous growth. (Twice that happened. Once she made it. Once she didn't.) Or you watch your grandmother slowly slip into eternity.
You can ask my wife. I've always longed to see the reality of my faith, to finally fulfill God's use for my life here, to be absent from the body so I can be present with the Lord. However, I'm now finding the stakes of death are a bit higher than they use to be.
This makes me ask: What legacy will I leave? Christian Psychologist Dr. Paul Faulkner advocates letter writing on an extreme scale: to children and grandchildren (of course), but also to greats and great-greats. Think about it: Would you like to receive a letter one day from a great-great grandparent? Maybe you'd freak out. You'd certainly call mom and ask about him/her. What would you like to know?
More than letter-writing though is the legacy we leave with those who walk with us in life. That legacy consists of the love you pour into their lives. I know Ron's children. They've always shown the rich treasure of love that he and Linda have placed in their hearts. I know because their children have served me and my family. Regardless of his future, his legacy is set. He reflects Christ, he serves his family with humility, and leads those entrusted to him with courage.
So, who has left a legacy in your life? And what would you tell your loved ones before you escape into the arms of God?
I Corinthians 15
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