Cup of Tea.

Recently my grandmother passed away from an out-of-nowhere stroke that left many people reeling from shock. At the memorial, it was really cool to see all the people who got up to speak and say what she meant to them. She was a chiropractor to most, but also much more. Many of them said that while she was a chiropractor, she was also like family to them because she was so kind to people on a level deeper than just doctor & patient. This was really because she made sure to show the love of Christ to everyone she came in contact with. 

When thinking about it, I came to realize how cool it was that she left behind such a legacy of kindness, amidst all the other great attributes she possessed and put into practice. And upon further thought I came to think about my legacy – and what I will leave behind after I’m gone. How will people remember me? What lasting impression will I leave behind? Will they look back on my life and see it pointing to God…or something else.  

I had a similar thought a couple weeks ago where I was talking to someone about the habit of people-watching and how I find out way more about a person by observing them in a crowded room and how they interact with others then when I actually interact with them. Sure you learn some more personal things about someone when you interact with them, but mostly when I sit quietly and observe. But that got me thinking – what would people observe of me? How do I act if I think no-one is watching? Am I pointing to Christ in every aspect of my life whether people are watching or not. Because regardless of if people are there or not – Jesus is always watching. Every thought, every action, every intention. Do I treat everyone the same or do I show partiality to certain people, which is so easy in our world today. To hang around those we like, and to distance and dislike those who are different or have different beliefs than ourselves.

All this legacy talk was a wild realization and thought process for me that really took up a lot of space in my mind for a while.  And it’s been a good challenge to look at my life and look and see where I need to act differently. Is my end goal to hear “well done” from those around me, or to hear it from my Lord and Savior. For regardless of anything – Jesus being proud of me, and Him being the legacy I leave behind is all that matters. There’s a song by Casting Crowns called ‘Only Jesus’ and the one line that gets repeated is this “I don’t care if they remember me, only Jesus.” And that has always stuck with me, and even more so now as I have pondered what my legacy will be.

So, I challenge you, the reader, to examine your life. To see if you need to change. Look and see if there’s something you don’t want to be remembered for and strive to change that. Will your legacy be “only Jesus?”