LEGACY

LEGACY BEGINS NOW!

 

 

I had the privilege to speak to a group of High School students tonight and so I chose the topic of LEGACY. I love this word. I love what it means and how I have learned to embrace it to the fullest in the past few years.

 

I believe that we can begin our legacy at a very young age. For example, I have a connection with a dear family whose 10 year old daughter was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. After spending weeks and weeks in children's hospital wards she, her name is Jessie, decided that some of the children in her ward needed something to cheer them up. So she came up with the idea of JOY JARS! She took clear plastic jars and filled them with little toys and stuffed animals and stickers. She and her dad took the jars back to the hospital she was in and passed them out to the children. It became a great way for her to do something to help other children. She even came up with her own saying of NEVER EVER GIVE UP! Or as she calls it NEGU!

 

NEGU and JOY JARS became Jessie's focus and mission. She spent the last 10 months of her life encouraging other children and families to NEGU through her JOY JARS and social media. When Jessie passed away at 11 years old, she had already left an incredible legacy. In fact NEGU and JOY JARS are all over the world just a few years later. Jessie Joy Reese was named a recipient of the CNN YOUNG HERO'S AWARD. NFL teams have now joined her foundation and they are taking JOY JARS to thousands of children who are in hospitals all over the world. You can look her up online and read it for yourself. It is an incredible example of LEGACY.

 

I learned about Legacy in a very painful way a few years ago. My husband and I have been married for over 30 years. A few years ago we had something happen in our marriage that almost caused us to completely give up and end our marriage. You may think this is not that big of a deal in today's society, however, it is to us. You see we both have Mom's who had multiple marriages. Neither one of us know our biological fathers. In fact, my husband never met his biological mother. We have gone though so many ups and downs in our marriage while raising our sons.

 

A few years ago when this event happened we had to make a decision about what kind of legacy we wanted to leave for our sons and grandchildren. Did we want to continue the legacy of broken marriages? Or did we want to change this long legacy of divorce of both of our families? We decided the latter...we decided that we want to leave a legacy of commitment and never giving up, "NEGU", for our kids and grand kids, as well as the hundreds of people we have the awesome privilege to lead in ministry.

 

This decision was not easy and is still a struggle now and then when things get tough. We always go back to legacy. We have learned that we must "Act our way into a feeling, instead of feeling our way into an action" Rick Warren...

 

Tonight as I was sharing my personal story with a group of High School kids, I read to them out of  the bible in John 13 where Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. I see the love and humility of Jesus in this passage. I also see the beginning of the legacy that Jesus left for His beloved disciples and ultimately for all of us. The legacy of humility and serving others. The legacy of sacrificial love. The kind that lead Jesus to the cross on our behalf. Jesus left His legacy for us to follow.

 

My life verse is Ephesians 2:10;

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared for us in advance to do."

 

The word workmanship in the original Greek means POEM. So in other words, God created us with beauty and complexity, gifts and talents in order to use them for good works. He had this planned all along for each of us. I love this because as a little girl growing up in turmoil and struggle I am overwhelmed with the understanding that God had a plan for me all along. In fact He has used my deepest pain to develop my deepest ministry. I am grateful that I was able to come out of such sad darkness and see the light of Jesus that led me to a personal relationship with Jesus. I am so blessed that I understand God's purpose for me.

 

Every child has the potential to begin a legacy. We as adults can contribute to the development of their legacy building with our words that matter and with each moment we choose to build them up and encourage them.

 

How about you? How is your legacy building going? I am challenging each person reading this blog to think about legacy and what is means. I hope it helps you as it has me. Years ago I use to sing a song called "This Life." Here is the chorus:

 

 

This life that I've been given

Is but a moments time

This life, I have received it

As a gift from your hand.

Let all my days reflect... your precious Holy Name

Everything that I do, let it glorify You,

My Savior and my God....

 

This I pray...is my legacy......God bless you