SAY WHAT? - Part 2

James 4:14 (NIV 1984) "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

Most likely, sometime within the next fifty years our remains will return to the dust of the ground.  I'm not trying to be morbid, I just know how easy it is to forget the brevity of life.  I can go about my 'schedule' and get easily caught up in daily demands, tyranny of the urgent and the redundant nature of going through the motions.  

If we're only given one life to live, and that life makes an eternal impact whether good or bad, then what we're entrusted with should be cherished and lived with direct purpose and intentionality, right?  But, how comfortable and complacent we can get as we run errands, clean the house and carpool our children.

The legacy we leave impacts lives. Embracing this truth should naturally affect the daily choices we make. Our decisions formulate who we are and ultimately influence our relationships with others.

The reality of our existence is a mist . . . a vapor . . . like a morning fog rising off a translucent lake.  Have you ever wondered like I have, when my expiration date is up, what words and phrases loved ones will pick to describe me?  What exactly will be said and remembered?  But more than a one-word adjective or a funny story, our heart's prayer should be to leave a lasting legacy of love . . . a legacy of love for God and love for people. 

Say what?

Sometimes it's the small, simple interactions in life when a lasting impact of love occurs.  

• One who makes time to really talk and pray with another
• One who shows an interest in those in their circles
• One who slows down enough to greet, make eye contact and smile to daily faces
• One who prioritizes time to connect with their kids and spouse
• One who mails a note of encouragement
• One who invites 'that' family for dinner
• One who is approachable, gentle and transparent

Othertimes it's the big, not so simple choices in life when a lasting impact of love occurs.

• One who pursues God and His Word daily
• One who is disciplined and motivated
• One who resists a life of comfort and luxury
• One who establishes healthy relational boundaries
• One who stands by their word regardless of circumstances
• One who takes responsibility without making excuses
• One who interracts with more than a screen

Like you, I don't always get it right or make the right decisions.  There will always be times when the woes and concerns of life weigh us down and we slump into routine and ease, forgetting the big picture.  But, when we recalibrate our hearts with intentional purpose to love God and people, He will enable us to remain steadfast in our efforts as a wife, mom, sister and friend.  We can leave a lasting legacy of love.  We will be remembered as one who mattered and one who invested in what mattered the most.

Heart Work:

Write down the legacy you desire to leave.  What do you need to change in your life to begin to establish this legacy?  Be specific.

Heart Exam:

Compare and contrast the lives and legacies of two Bible characters.  How do their lives inspire you or serve as a warning?

From the list above, what simple or not so simple choices may you need to make?

Heart Transforming Word:

Psalm 39:5 (NIV 1984) "You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you.  Each man's life is but a breath."

Psalm 102:3a "For my days vanish like smoke."

Psalm 144:4 "Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow."

2 Corinthians 4:18  "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Hebrews 9:27 "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."

Copyright 2013 by Hester Christensen.  All rights reserved.