Legacy

You all know I talk a lot about my mama. She was very influential in my life. When I was only five years old, we were cleaning house on a Saturday in the spring like we did on most Saturdays. With a family of 7 the house needs cleaning a bunch I suppose. Anyway, I remember the windows being up and the smell of Pinesol being in the air. The preacher had been preaching about a place called heaven and a place called hell. I remember the preacher talking about this scripture in John 14 1-4 "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going." He had also talked about us having Jesus in our hearts and about being forgiven for our sins. I know in Sunday School we had talked about this and had made crosses out of popscile sticks. I remember memorizing John 3:16 before I even knew what it meant. I was curious, to say the least. So, as we took a break from the cleaning and sat down to have lunch, I began to question mama. I ask all about heaven and hell and what it meant to ask Jesus to live in my heart. Mama explained it all so well, and I knew immediately what I needed to do. I told mama I needed to ask Jesus to come to live in my heart and to be forgiven of my sins so I could go to heaven when I died. We knelt beside my bed and she led me through the prayer that forever changed my life.

Now, mama was not a famous woman, she was not a rich woman. As the matter of fact when she passed away in 2007 she owned a bedroom suite in my sister's home, a few clothes, and few personal items. Mama did not leave us a huge inheritance when she passed, she had enough insurance to take care of her burial. Some may say well how sad, a lifetime of work and nothing to show for it. Oh, beloved don't be sad because my mama left such a legacy of love and faith that money and material items could never buy nor compare.

So many of us get caught in the game of money and stuff. We work ourselves to the bone trying to accumulate more and more money and material items. I have to tell you a very personal and sad story. My father has always chased the dollar. He threw away a beautiful family to go after success and money. He went off with another woman to build a life and a business. He missed out on a lifetime of family, grandchildren, birthdays, graduations, Christmas and most important a relationship with Jesus. He is now in a nursing home, unable to feed himself, shower himself, he doesn't even know his own twin brother most days. He had already written all of the family off saying he wanted nothing to do with us, afraid we would try to go after his precious money. Now, one person he trusted is taking all of his money and is spending it while he is wasting away in a nursing home. When my father passes away, there is no legacy left, no fond memories, just an uneasy feeling because I am afraid he will spend eternity in hell.

I usually do not write about such heavy matters but beloved I feel God pressing on my own heart and to urge you to pour into what matters. Pour into your faith in Jesus, pour into your love of your family. Luke 12:15 says, "And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Do not worry about what other people have, or what society says we need to show we are successful or leaving your children a huge monetary inheritance leave a legacy of faith and of love. I understand we all have to make a living we all have bills to pay. What I am talking about here is priorities, let's make sure our priorities stay God first, family second and then everything else. God always provides when we keep Him first.

My prayer for you, mama to mama, friend to friend, is that you establish and leave a legacy of faith and love just like my mama left me. She gave me the greatest gift ever, she led me to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus, we love you so much. Help us to keep our priorities straight and focused on you. Father, I pray we all strive to leave a legacy of faith and love for our families.