The Weekend Brew: The Gift of Legacy
The wrapping paper is scattered
Ribbons adorn the family and the floor
Gifts have been “oohed and ached” over and now clutter the couch crowding out the sprawling bodies
Contentment and thankfulness fill the room and a brief moment of silence enters as each person is lost in his/her own thoughts.
I find my favorite spot on the couch and snuggle into the cushions when all thoughts of happy turn quickly to the absence of a loved one.
It’s been almost a year since my mom found her way home to Jesus and the gaping hole left behind takes some of the glitter out of the brightest ornament on the tree. Inwardly my downward spiral into loss stops mid-twirl as the word legacy crosses its path. The deep ache of loss becomes a filling of the heart with hope and memories when legacy is added to the equation.
My mom left a beautiful legacy of a life well-lived. An example to many that life is not what you expect from it, but how you live it and who you live it for- yourself or for others. It is a looking beyond this life to God who is the provider of life and the orchestrator of how life should be lived.
What if we thought of legacy as the story of one’s own life? What if we all moved past the china, jewelry and family heirlooms that are part of our family’s history and instead dived into the story of who we are, what we are becoming and how we want to live the life we have been given? What if the legacy of our loved ones, the story of their lives, filled the empty spots and restored the memories into a piece of our story?
In the telling of our story and our chance to leave a piece of ourselves to those who walk behind or in front of us, we have the honor of accepting God and His legacy into our lives. His Word shares legacy with all and teaches us how to live our own story.
[Tweet “Legacy is allowing God’s story to become woven with ours.”]
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:20-25)
Are we willing to live God’s Word in our lives and leave a legacy of God’s story woven with ours? When loss overtakes us, will we look to the legacy of that person’s story and carry it into the future to become part of our legacy? Will you accept all God has given you and live your life as His reflection and His light for all?
As I wrote the questions above, I know that I need to spend time reflecting on each one and learn how I can carry out my legacy that began so beautifully in my mom’s life. I appreciate each and everyone of you and I am so thankful that you joined The Weekend Brew to share your stories and spend a few minutes reading mine.
Blessings for a New Year of listening and learning how God’s story can become ours!
1. Share a post, photo scripture — anything that breathes life and encourages.
2. Grab the button to use in your post (it’s in the footer of my site), or simply link back here.
3. Visit the person who linked up before you (and a few others along the way)!
Hi Mary,
Giving thanks for your beloved mom. So thankful for her blessings on your precious life.
God bless
I am thankful you stopped by, Anita. I am blessed because God never leaves my side and walks me through every moment of life. I have learned so much in this past year after losing my mom and God has been my teacher. I pray your New Year is full of God and His blessings!
Praise God for the legacy your mother left! Thank you for the beautiful post & for hosting & God bless!
Thank you Laurie! The story of my mom has taught me how God joins us at every word, paragraph or page of our lives and this has been so impactful. When a loss creates such a deep ache, God is able to teach us how He is still near and His words become our comfort and our story. Blessed you joined us! Happy New Year!
Barbie, thank you for this beautiful blog post. I lost my dad when I was only 21. I’m living his legacy through my memoir “Dancing with Daddy” where I share my own personal testimony which is woven with wonderful memories of him. I look forward to reading more from you! #BloggerCareGroup
Barbara- I am so glad you joined us here today at The Weekend Brew. Losing my mom has been one of the most difficult things I have experienced as well as one with the greatest impact in how God moves in our lives. I imagine your memoir instills the legacy of your dad and blesses you deeply. Happy New Year!
That’s a beautiful legacy to leave. You are so blessed. 🙂
Thank you! May all of our stories become the legacy of God’s story laced with our own. Blessed you joined us here today.
I’m sorry for your loss, but rejoice in your ability to see the legacy and also rejoice in knowing where your mom is living now. Happy New Year Mary!
Thank you Michelle! God is so amazing and through the good and bad teaches me so much. My life is such a blessing because I am focused on God as my center. Happy New Year!
I love this and I love how you honored your mom here. Just as God wants us to study the themes of His story and see His legacy of Grace, He wants us to know the themes of the story that He is writing in all of us. Thank you for this beautiful and inspiring message.
I am blessed by your words of encouragement Karen! I agree that God wants to know us personally but He also desires that we pursue Him relentlessly to grow our story around His. Have a blessed New Year! Thanks for joining us here each weekend!
Powerful questions to reflect on, Mary. Thank you for sharing your heart here at Barbie’s place. My break continues but wanted to pop in quick to say hello to both of you. ~waving~
Much love.
xoxo
I love that you popped in Beth! I hope to pursue and reflect further on the questions about legacy. I crave for God’s story to be mine and for others to see the unfolding of a God-centered story in their own lives. Happy New Year!
Mary,
You are one of my favorite God-gifted writers. Just want you to KNOW that in your heart.
Legacy… when I think of it all… the intertwined branches of a story much, much bigger than me jump off the pages of a story that only God could write. And I’m so thankful to be even a paragraph in the big story. For the body is made of parts and the story is made of hearts. The connection from then to now to future generations is like a beautiful garden of God’s ultimate love for those that are His. Thank you for taking me to this place of reflection today, Mary.
As always… your friend,
Heather
Heather-thank you for your sweet encouragement. I am blessed to be part of God’s story with you and all the other people whose stories intertwine with ours. May we pray that our one paragraph in the bigger story be the best it can be. Happy New Year! Love you girl!
Deut 6:4-9 is one of my fave verses. So much goodness. Faith, in the words of Vibrant Faith Ministries, does indeed begin in the home.
Thank you for joining in the community here, Tara. A God-centered home is home where family can flourish. I pray we all center on God to grow our stories that will become a legacy of love for others. Happy New Year!
Thanks for sharing your story, Mary. I like the idea of our legacy developing as we let God’s story be interwoven with ours. I also like what Andrew says above: our legacy is real, but we can’t see it. Those who have affected our lives and left valuable legacies for us hardly realized it themselves. That is true humility. Glad to be part of the weekend brew. 🙂
I agree with both you and Andrew. When I look at legacy from the viewpoint of my mom, I know that she would have said her impact was minimal but in reality that is farthest from the truth. God’s plan is so amazing and when He pursues us to be in communion with Him we are blessed beyond imagination. We can intentionally choose to follow hard after God and let our stories become part of His and that is what I hope my legacy will look like to others. Blessings for a Happy New Year. I’m so blessed you join us here today!
Legacy is a funny thing. Like a reflection in a mirror, it’s real, but when we try to grasp it and hold it to ourselves, we can’t.
We have to be content, I think, with the image that includes us, but is part of something much wider, much deeper, much more profound.
And forever beyond our touch, yet defining the relationship between us and God.
I love the perspective that you brought into this discussion Andrew. I believe that our story is much bigger than we will ever know and God is the author. How we live our lives and whether we choose God to lead us determines what out legacy will eventually be. Thank you for joining the conversation and for being part of this community. Happy New Year!
Amen, friend! Here’s to looking beyond this life. I love the idea of our legacies filling in the gaps when loss is felt. Glad to see you here on Barbie’s each weekend. Love & hugs!
Good to see you here too Jolene! I know writing has been difficult. What I love the most about legacy is that it is our story and we have the chance to make it God-honoring and full of grace if we choose. Blessings for a Happy New Year!