A Living Legacy

I am about to begin a Bible study offered at our church called "This is My Story". The class is about discovering the importance of leaving behind a legacy and includes biblical background detailing the significance of this. Although the class has not started just yet, it got me thinking about the legacy my own parents have already created for my sister and me.

Growing up, kids always gravitated towards our house. I would like to think this was because Challi and I were the most charming girls in our small town, but I have a sneaking suspicion it was more about our precious mom. (Not that my dad's jokes and famous renditions of any and every Alabama song did not play a part in luring friends over, as well:) But, mom had a special gift for reaching out to our acquaintances and investing in their lives.

Actually, gift is the wrong word because that would imply it was free. Mom's love for our friends cost her and my dad plenty. It cost them lots of sleep, money to feed everyone, time they could have spent with each other and so much more. But, my mom's investment in our peers was a calling that both my parents took very seriously.

Scripture was lived out and Christian marriage was modeled before the seemingly inattentive eyes of teenagers that encountered our home. Many young people, with no one to talk to or pray for them, gained access to a mother's unconditional love and Godly guidance. Precious girlfriends with no spiritual direction received their first Bibles in our home and were taken to church for the first time. Young adults, many of whose parents made little time for them, felt valued and cared for when the walked through our front door.

As a Christ follower, I often desire for God to give me some "fall from the sky", amazing ministry opportunity. However, the problem seems to lie in the fact that my idea of amazing does not always line up with what He is ACTUALLY asking me to do. If I'm really honest with myself, longing to be successful for Him is too often tied to a desire to be placed in positions of recognition and worldly significance.

Nobody gave my mom a medal for loving my friends and it wasn't the most glamorous or well publicized ministry to have. But, I can guarantee that the friends who came through our home over the years are better wives/husbands and mothers/fathers because my mom understood that it was less about her and more about Him.

Thank you both, Mom and Dad, for teaching me the simplicity of the call. When given the opportunity to do His work, joyfully accept.

Period.

That is one legacy I want to pass down.