Legacy

LEGACY
by Nichole Nordeman

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who's who and so-n-so's that used to be the best
At such'n'such ... it wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'
But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, "Well Done" good and faithful one...

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The first three lines of this song’s chorus crossed my mind when our pastor mentioned about what people would say about you during your funeral. Will they remember you as a loving person? A person who speaks of good to others? General Maximus in the movie Gladiator said “What we do in this life echoes in eternity.” This made me reflect on my life.

Let me just share this excerpt from the book (Faith That Goes The Distance by Jud Wilhite) I’m currently reading…

Someone once said we should make life’s major decisions in a cemetery. Sounds a little morbid, but a cemetery reminds us of ultimate things and helps us plan with the end in mind….

Ravi Zacharias’s ancestors came from the Hindu priesthood’s highest caste. Zacharias converted to Christianity in his late teens and attended college in Canada. Since then, he has lectured all over the world.

Zacharias visited his grandmother’s grave in India, thirty years after he surrendered to Christ. She passed away when he was young. He recalls:

No one had visited her grave for almost thirty years. With his little bucket of water and a small brush, the gardener cleared off the caked-on dirt and, to our utter surprise, under her name, a verse gradually appeared. My wife clasped my hand and said, “Look at the verse!” It read, “Because I live, you shall live also.”

The legacy of the grandmother’s faith lived and breathed in the grandson standing before her tombstone! Dead people do speak. “Because I live, you shall live also.” What message will you leave behind?

Maybe it’s time for a walk in a cemetery.

Love In October

Love was the topic in our church for the whole month of October. It was a timely reminder. People, like me, oftentimes forget the true meaning of love. Of course, 1 Corinthians 13 is the main text for the love series. Love is such an abstract, intangible thing. I think the first definition of love I know was “Love is blind” because this was usually the answer of my classmates in the slumbook’s “What is Love?” question. :) I remember I once memorized the love chapter when I was in elementary as a requirement in one subject.

But really, what is love? I took note of the definition mentioned in one of the preachings… “Love is more than just a feeling. It is an unconditional commitment towards imperfect people to seek their highest good which oftentimes requires sacrifice.” Woahh! That’s a deep one. Let me share some of my learnings from the whole series, based on my notes…

1) Love is looooooooonnnnnnnnnggggg-suffering. This is how our pastor pronounced it…as in “looooooooooonnnnnnnnnggggggg-suffering” or in simpler term – patient!

2) Love does not seek its own (not selfish or self-seeking). I think some people often use this statement, “if you truly love me….you will blah, blah, blah”. Hello? Love is not selfish or self-seeking nga e. (kinda mataray tone!)

3) Love is not provoked. This one hit me bullseye! Our pastor’s example was something I could really relate to. It’s when you’re driving and someone cuts your way, what will you feel? Do you feel provoked? Oh my, I’m very guilty! Before I thought why some drivers (of jeepney, taxi, etc.) could not keep their “cool” when someone cuts their way. I thought, it’s just a matter of seconds, not a big deal. But wait, when I am the driver myself and someone cuts my way, it’s really a struggle to keep my “cool”. I am tempted to blow the car’s horn too loooonnnggg with matching flashing light and an “angry-look” on my face.

4) Love does not keep a record of wrongs. When someone cuts my way while I’m driving, I have the tendency to remember the plate number and other details of the car. All of a sudden I have photographic memory! My brain cells are working perfectly but I think my blood is simmering! Hehe :)

5) Loving is done without expectation of return. When we expect, oftentimes we will just be disappointed. So just love, love, love without expecting!

6) Love does not rejoices with evil but rejoices with the truth. I think it’s in the book of Proverbs where it says, “Open rebuke is better than secret love”. So speak the truth lovingly and gently.

7) Love bears all things. It’s loving the person for who he is (including the good and the bad in him). “You come loving not a perfect person but loving an imperfect person perfectly.” (I hope I got this quote right!)

That’s it! It all boils down to LOVE! :)