Day 31- Remembering What Matters

I love the word “Legacy”.  When I came to faith in Christ I was 20 years old.  A college student who –as we are fond of saying here- was as lost as a goose in a hail storm!  Don’t get me wrong, I had been raised to go to church, and even had been confirmed in our denominational church…but it didn’t stick.  I lived my teen years as a pagan, and I was a good at it…that is until age 20 when I had a radical encounter with Jesus.

I gave my life to Christ in a purposeful, intentional way.  I knew Jesus was real, and I knew he had come into my life, and that I wanted to follow Him.  A few months later I married my wife Linda, and we’ve been married almost 43 years. 

I’ve never considered the idea of a legacy until a couple of years ago.  We had four children – two girls, two boys – and after three of them marrying, there are now eight grandchildren. 

I was on a walk in the country when I started to think about this idea of legacy.  Legacy is what we leave behind for the generations that follow.  My prayer, my hope, was that my kids and grandchildren would see a faith life and want to walk with Christ themselves.  So far, so good.

As the Pilgrim Psalmist journeyed he began to reflect on the legacy of faith that he has inherited. 

Psalm 132:1-18

¹  Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured,
²  how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
³  “I will not enter my house or get into my bed,
⁴  I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
⁵  until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
⁶  Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
⁷  “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!”
⁸  Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
⁹  Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your saints shout for joy.
¹⁰  For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
¹¹  The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
¹²  If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.”
¹³  For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place:
¹⁴  “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
¹⁵  I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
¹⁶  Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.
¹⁷  There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
¹⁸  His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on him his crown will shine.”

The Psalmist is not telling us what happened; he is remembering the journey that has brought him to this place of faith. 

It’s about lots of people…and lots of God.

Our history matters.  Sometimes it is the history of our family that was before us.  My wife’s Grandmother was a strong believer and her faith gave her something to aim for in her teen years.

Sometimes it is the history of our family that follows us.  In my case, I think about that a lot.  4 children, 8 grandchildren, what does the generation that follows that possibly hold?  I think about the few hundred souls I’ve had the privilege to teach, mentor and lead.  I don’t have any idea how any of those will turn out, but I love the imprinting of each soul.

As Christians we always start from scratch…every generation has to make up their own mind about what to do with faith in God. 

The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.

Our children follow us, and God desires to bless them and secure their faith also.  We serve our children with faith and obedience in God.  Cultivate memories with faith and hope fed on obedience…that’s how we create a legacy.

Peace