Legacy

The older I get, the more I realize that I have been thinking about what I want to leave for my children. I know for a fact,they think about it too. They each have their "favorite" jewelry, book, knick knack, or whatever it is that they have their eyes on.

I know that is normal, but I also want to leave them something more than that. I want what I leave them to be just as tangible as the knick knack on my end table, but impact them for eternity. I'm sure that all of us parents feel the same way!

I have struggled with what that would look like for years. I have tried to imitate other people's ideas, I have tried to journal, I have tried to scrapbook, I have tried to crochet them blankets (BIG FAIL)....the bottom line is I have tried to become someone I am not.  I don't want to be remembered for that.

 My mother is beautiful through and through. What I would treasure most of hers when she no longer has use for it on this earth is her Bible. As a little girl I remember coming into the living room and my mother's Bible was always on the back of the couch with a notebook in it. Her Thompson Chain Bible full of notes from her devotional time with God. I didn't appreciate it as much then as now. When I was little it would frustrate me because I was always knocking it off, or would whack my head on it when I sat down....But oh how I would love to get my hands on it and flip through the pages and read all the highlighted scriptures and notes in the margins that my mother has spent her entire lifetime notating and commenting on. What a treasure trove of wisdom is to be found in those pages! 

But then again, I know this...I know that the highlighted verses were also highlighted in her heart. She has been diligent to pour that into my life at every opportunity. That is the true legacy!  You see, that is what I want to leave my kids. Not to say that all of the other things that you wonderful, apparently more organized parents than me can, save and create for your children isn't good...it is wonderful!!! It is part of how God made you and will be wonderful memories for your children.  Like I said earlier.....Oh how I wish I had the time, creativity, and "want to" for those projects. 

Instead, I choose to embrace what I know that I can and will do.  I will love God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength - like commanded to in Deuteronomy 6:5. With that will be an overflow of Godly wisdom that pours out and leaves a legacy of godliness....a tangible path for my kids to follow. 

You too can leave a path of godliness for your children. Live your life purposefully. Choose every moment of everyday to live passionately for Jesus Christ. Turn to God when you don't know what to do....He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:6 say "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." Your children may not say so now, but one day they will realize the wonderful legacy that you created on their behalf, and they will thank you!

Dig Out!

I find myself sitting at my desk today, feeling a little overwhelmed. Have any of you ever had that moment where all the sudden you feel like everything is heavier than it used to be and you can no longer hold it all up?  I don't think I'm alone in this! 
Sometimes we can be gliding along just fine, keeping everything going, then for some reason that we really can't put our finger on.....we come to a screeching halt and everything goes flying!

So, as I sit at my desk today, that is how I feel. That everything that once was a breeze, now seems to litter my office with no exact rhyme or reason!

I want to share a little secret with everyone so lean in.....it's okay to feel that way!  I bet you can't even believe I said that! ha ha ha
It's okay to take a moment and regroup. It's okay to have a moment of feeling overwhelmed.  You see I have learned something that helps me deal with days like this better than I ever have in the past. We do not have to let our feelings dictate our future.

I could sit here feeling overwhelmed and let it so consume my thoughts that I can't get anything done....or I can realize that anyone would feel overwhelmed when they have papers, books, pens and pencils, and a myriad of other miscellaneous items strewn all over their desk. You see I have neglected my office space and not spent much time there lately, so it has become the catch all for whatever was deemed "Mom's" and everything got stacked in, on, or near my desk. So I am doing something about it....it's what I like to call "digging out."

I know that as you read this you probably can relate to a time that you had to do the same thing. I would like to tell you this is the one and only time this has ever happened to me, but that would not be true! It does happen from time to time with all of us.

Sometimes we run into the same problem in our walk with God. Things are going smoothly and that is when we start neglecting the foundational pieces of that relationship. We may not even realize it until something hits us square in the face and we find that we no longer have the strength to go on. I am so thankful that God is not like my desk. My desk offers no help when I find myself overwhelmed, but God is my refuge and strength, my very present help in time of trouble. Psalm 46:1  James 4:8 tells us that if we Draw near to God, He will draw near to us.

We are His children and He never takes His eyes off of us.....even when we take our eyes off of Him. So if you find yourself realizing you have been neglecting those foundational pieces of your relationship with God (Bible reading, prayer, church attendance....) it is time to do something about it. Don't just sit there thinking "It has been so long, and I feel so far gone to do anything about it!".......Dig Out!! 

Pray and ask God to forgive you for the neglect and move forward, Open your Bible and read His Word, go back to church!  Your church family is waiting for you with open arms!  More importantly, the God of the universe who created you and delights in you is also waiting with open arms!  His love is never ending!!