When we heard last week that Aretha Franklin was in the hospital and her family had been called in, my husband said, "Wow. That will be a loss." Then, when she died on Thursday, we heard so many people talking about her music, her involvement with the civil rights movement and how bold it was for a young black woman to have been singing about Respect at that time.
What a legacy! What a wonderful way to use her talents to make an impact on the world. It made me think, "What will people say about me when I'm gone?"
I don't expect that my passing will make the national news or make headlines even in my small town. Yours may not, either. But that doesn't mean our lives won't impact the people around us in some way. How could we not? People's lives are connected to all of those around them and how one person lives will always have an impact on others. The question is, what will our legacy be?
Will it be one of service to a greater good? Or of only serving ourselves?
One of using the gifts God gave us to serve Him? Or burying those gifts out of fear and insecurity?
One of deep relationships or of being too focused on our work/hobbies/social media to connect with the people around us?
And more importantly, one with an emphasis on our faith or one where faith seems irrelevant?
Hebrews 11 is sometimes called the "Hall of Faith" because of the great faith of everyone listed. "It was by faith" is the start of all of the short profiles, including Noah, Abraham, Joseph and Moses. Everything these men and women did was founded in their faith in God.
He was known as a person who pleased God. Now there's a legacy to leave behind, wouldn't you say?
Yes! To be a 'good and faithful'servant - thank you for another thought-provoking devotion.
ReplyDeleteOf course, today (Aug. 26), we've heard about the death of John McCain in the US. He said that he'd like to be remembered as "a man that served his country". As Christians, we can hope that our legacy will also be that we served God - wherever and whenever He called.
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