2 Timothy 3:14-15 – But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Three years ago, I took my mom, then 90, to a nursing home to visit her even more elderly friend, Winnie, who was basically not “with it” anymore. I was in awe of my mother, who despite her own dementia, really “cared” for Winnie. It was caring in action. She touched her face with tenderness, stroking her cheek and asking how she was doing. She clasped her hand and squeezed it; she rubbed her shoulders, all the while speaking in a loving, caressing, tender voice, telling Winnie how much she was loved. This was a mother whom I had not seen before. Even while she herself was not doing well mentally, she reached out to her friend and just “loved her up”, as my mom would say. Later, as we got lost trying to find our way out, we passed by a resident just sitting outside her room. My mom, in her wheelchair, veered off to see this person, and she spoke to her like a close friend, held her hand, and loved her up too. I was terrifically impressed by my mother on that day.
I have noticed in the last ten years or so that when I am having a struggle about something and I share it with my mom, dementia or not, she will say, “That’s something that we should pray about.” Then she’ll suddenly grab my hands, hold them tight, and say, “Let’s pray about that right now, dear!” And so she does. And then we hug. So when God urges me to pray for someone, I will think of my mother, and say, “Let’s pray right now.” I have been impacted by my own mother sharing her faith in action. My mother is leaving me quite the legacy of prayer and faith in action, caring in action, and loving them up.
As we go through this journey we call life, we are continuously creating a personal legacy. It is our morals and values, the examples that we set, the paths that we choose, and the decisions that we make that are imprinted on the minds and hearts of those closest to us. Every one of us will leave a legacy for those coming after us. The question though is, what legacy will you leave?
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 – Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (NIV)
This Scripture tells us what kind of legacy we will have if we love the Lord our God with everything that is within us. Let us look to Jesus for everything. Let us focus on His love. He is the lamp to our feet; He will show us what path to take, what words to say, when to say them, how to say them, where to say them, what love and faith actions that will bless someone else. All of these things are to be upon our hearts. If we are grounded in God, our children will hear it and see it in action. We can then be assured that we are leaving a positive legacy for our children or other loved ones.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wondrous love for us. Help us to love You with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, and with all of our strength. These are the things which will make a difference in our lives and how we live our lives for others. Help us to show our families what faith in action is really all about. Thank You for guiding us and being a lamp to our feet. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada