Several years ago, I had the privilege
of hearing Rusty Wright speak. Rusty is an award winning author, lecturer and
syndicated columnist who writes much about connecting God’s grace to everyday
life.
One of his mantras is to live intentionally.
It’s much easier to take life as it
comes, but to live intentionally, we have to step back for the long look.
For some, this might result in the formulation
of a bucket list. The popularity of this approach is evidenced
by books that offer a list of things to do before we die.
There’s nothing wrong with a list, but if we are to
make a difference for a people yet to be born, our lives will inspire others to
seek and love God.
Living lives of worship, prayer, and Bible study is foremost but ultimately, we need to put feet on our words.
Living lives of worship, prayer, and Bible study is foremost but ultimately, we need to put feet on our words.
I know a woman in her seventies who through her writing is trying to reach as many
people as she can in her lifetime with the Good News. A classmate from high school
helps build houses for the poor, living out her Christian faith in a
tangible way. Another of our friends continues to invest his time in the lives
of the homeless. A couple of other church friends pour themselves into a
food ministry for struggling families. We know missionaries approaching their sixties who are still on foreign soil. Another couple close to us invests much of their time and resources
to fund a ministry and seminary in a country suffering financial collapse. Others spend their time mentoring. My
own husband flunked retirement and continues in ministry speaking four or five
times a week.
I have heard parents say their legacy is through their children,
and that can be true, but it doesn’t mean we get a pass for the years after the
kids become adults.
My neighbor, Betty, has been teaching children at church for
fifty-six years. She is eighty-six and one of the liveliest people I know. So
for all of us who have said, let someone younger do it, well, sorry. Betty
inspires me to keep at it doing whatever God calls me to do as long as I have
breath to do it.
So, here is the bottom line. Writing a check isn’t enough. We need
to be investing ourselves in God’s work with our time and our lives, intentionally
doing that until we see Jesus.
So, what will it be―list or legacy? Why don’t we all take a step
back and ask God this very dangerous question, “Lord, what do you want me to do
with the rest of my life?”
I am convinced God will answer.
Speaking of legacy, Eugene Peterson died yesterday. He left a huge
legacy for generations to come in his Bible translation, The Message. I end
with a verse from Psalm 78:4 in Peterson’s translation: “We’re not keeping this
to ourselves, we’re passing it along to the next generation―God’s fame and
fortune, the marvelous things he has done.”
The books:
The books:
