"What legacy do I want to leave?What did God create me to be and do on this earth?"
I used to think about these questions a lot more than I currently do. Life can get overwhelming and just putting one foot in front of the other, changing the next diaper, packing the next box, getting on the next plane, driving to the next get-together can seem like enough. Enough. ENOUGH! :) Ever been there?
But I was thankful for the chance, yesterday, to consider these things. Here was my response, first in bullet-point, then in a more fleshed-out longhand version.
- Devoted Christ-follower
- Obedient child of God
- Joyful wife
- Loving mother
- Faithful friend
- Cheerful giver
- Hospitable
- Genuine & Honest
I want to be a woman who lives intentionally, who obeys and loves God even in difficult times (pressing through feelings to faith!). I want to do Doug good, and not harm, all the days of my life (Prov. 31:12). I want to welcome, encourage, and challenge other women and friends to trust in Jesus Christ. He is trustworthy! I want to cling to and trust God's Word above my own opinions, experiences, or thoughts. What He says, I believe. I want to wholeheartedly love and thoughtfully equip our children to launch out like arrows, flying according to the "bent" God has given them. I want to be someone who doesn't give up in the struggle of sanctification, but instead be like the righteous person in Prov. 4:18, who keeps shining brighter and brighter until my final day. Basically, I want to be a woman who "ponders the path of her feet" (Prov. 4:25-27). ***
In response to the question, "what did God create me to do?", in addition to the things listed above, things I'm living out each day, I'm currently considering my options for distance-learning and pursuing a Marriage & Family Therapy Counseling degree/certificate program. It's something I could do from home during these years when I'm primarily in the home with occasional blasts of "free" time (nap times, evening hours, Saturday mornings, etc.), that would be beneficial to me now but potentially very useful LATER, once the kids are grown and launching from our nest.
What about you? Have you thought about the legacy you want to leave? What kinds of things would you want someone to be able to say about you at your funeral one day?
Are we living in a way that clearly shows who God made us to be and who we are in Him? These kinds of questions are not easy... they force us (wham!) into seeing ourselves as we really are. But it's what the Bible encourages us to do-- to think of ourselves with sober judgment-- truthfully evaluating our lives in the light of Scripture.
"By the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." ~Romans 12:3
Feel free to share in the comments or link to a post on your own blog if you'd rather explore the topic more deeply there. I welcome your thoughts.
*** I reserve the right to edit this as I continue thinking these things through. :)
2 comments:
I'm certain I will blog about this soon, but I just read this in a fiction book (The Assignment by Mark Andrew Olsen) and it really resonated with me:
"And even the strongest of believers can grow quite comfortable with that last 10% area of doubt. That vague fog. We grow accustomed to being 90% and letting that final 10% float unchallenged in our minds. It's what prevents us from having to respond radically to the reality of God. We end up, whether we know it or not, clinging desperately to our ambivalence. Without it, we might all find ourselves behaving recklessly, doing selfless acts like becoming missionaries or martyrs or something. So we cherish that 10% of doubt. We come to rely on it."
I plan to explore that 10% in my own heart and mind. I find it so frustrating that my heart and my current reality are so often at odds. When they are not, I find I've come to a place of complacency. I'd rather they be melded because I've come to a place of abandon.
You do whatever you want! Your blog has always been a place of challenge and encouragement for me, whether through lessons through your bible studies or in life in raising kids. (I am a reader of nearly 4 years.)
I am glad you keep all of your articles in the "categories" section on your blog. There is so much practical help there for first time moms and rasing multiple kids.
People can always find encouragement here!!
Kari
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