Have you ever noticed how some people appear to be so blessed with good health, wealth, close friendships, good jobs, homes and more? (It is indeed a dangerous and slippery line of thinking so we won’t stay here long.) But really, do you ever think that and ask, “Why don’t I have MORE?” (As if more of the world would really make us happier.)
And have you ever had God suddenly flip the switch of your thinking to consider, “Why is it that MOST the world has so very little? And so very much pain, barely eking out a meager existence at best with no evident opportunity to escape the bonds of poverty and despair? And why do I have SO MUCH?” I am free to live in relative comfort even with Leukemia, receive good medical treatment and access to safe and affordable food and water and shelter, worshipping in freedom, while other Christians are persecuted and tortured, even to death. It certainly gives us pause for consideration about our complaining and a prompt to give thanks for our blessings – every single day!
But is it good enough to settle with, “There but the grace of God go I?” Are the words of Isaiah meaningful to us today? “And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:10) And in chapter 61 (excerpts): the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, to bestow upon them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, a garment of praise instead of despair. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from the darkness for the prisoners. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.”
Doesn’t that last image convey the message of a legacy based life? Whether we are focusing on the financially and physically poor of the world, or those around us who are bound up in their broken-heartedness, the image of our role in strengthening and encouraging others is a powerful one of real transformation. It speaks of our role in aligning with God to help others become oaks of righteousness, a planting for the display of God’s splendor!
What legacy do you want to leave? It is built in our day by day living and how we consider those around us and those around the world. Even if we think we have little, we have really so much to share and to pour into the legacy we leave. Live well today, friends.