pappaw died of congestive heart failure, but that is not how i remember him. i remember all the cool sounds he could make. it always blew my mind as a child (and sadly as an adult too) how he did it. he always made the sound of a train whistle. it was so loud! i loved it!
mammaw always made THE BEST homemade biscuits. it was one of two things i loved to eat while visiting...the other being her homemade pecan pie...mmm....my mouth is watering. anyways, those biscuits were the bomb dot com and pappaw knew how much i loved them...and knew that the only thing that was good on top of a homemade biscuit was fresh honey. he always, always, had honey waiting for me when we visited.
on the off chance that i woke up before 11 am on vacation, i would always find him in his recliner. my mammaw would be sitting on the couch next to him. what were they doing you ask? reading their Bibles and drinking coffee. the original hipsters...if you will. despite all his crazy antics, i knew that my pappaw loved the Lord. that is one thing that was unmistakable. his Bible was well worn and used...the mark of someone who treasures and values scripture and the One who inspired its writing.
in my study of Acts, i have reached Stephen. he was a man described as "full of faith" and "full of grace and power." he spoke truth through the power of the Holy Spirit. the man was bold for Jesus for sure. he was stoned for speaking truth and sharing the Gospel...what an awesome testimony!
Stephen left a huge legacy. to this day, he is considered the first Christian martyr. he died doing what he loved and telling people about the One who loved them beyond all comprehension. this got me thinking about the word legacy.
legacy: anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.
you usually hear this word at funerals. i mean...its totally appropriate to talk about someone's legacy at a funeral. but what if we started talking about it before we died? wouldn't it be useful to talk about the kind of legacy we are leaving before we actually leave?
in 5th grade i had the funniest teacher. he was an awesome teacher and when i reached high school, he passed away from cancer. there is always one thing i will remember about him...he LOVED the song Play that Funky Music. don't ask me why i remember that...but i do. and it makes me laugh every time i hear that song...seeing him walk around the classroom singing it. i don't know what his spiritual condition was, but the legacy he left is forever imprinted in my memory.
i want to be remembered. i want to leave a legacy that matters. i want people to say of me that i was "full of faith" and "full of grace"...something i'm working on. i want to leave more of a legacy than my crazy loud laugh. i want people to know that Jesus loves them because of the life i lived for Him.
i don't have children, but i do know people are always watching...little and big. what kind of legacy am i leaving them? what kind of legacy are you leaving?
*this post is brought to you by a whole lot of conviction in my life*
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