Hello! I have had this on my heart this week and thought I would share it with you! We had two family friends die in a car accident this week. They were not just any friends, they were the kind of people who dramatically impacted countless people’s lives on a daily bases. They were the kind of people who leave a gigantic hole in the city where I grew up. You can read their stories {HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE} As I went on Facebook and read all of the tributes to this beautiful couple the recurring theme was “they showed me to Jesus”- there are countless posts about how they invested in individuals, they changed lives, they walked through impossible times with so many, Randy performed marriage ceremonies, and on and on. It made me sit and think…I want to leave that kind of legacy. If the number one thing people would say about me would be- “she showed me to Jesus” that would be a dream. I can walk through life and raise my kids, be a good wife, be a good daughter, sister and friend, I can cook yummy meals, I can exercise and look my best, I can have a beautiful handbag, or drive a pretty car …but if I am not making an impact on people and showing them to Jesus- I am missing out on a powerful legacy! No one will remember what shoes I wore- they will remember how I made them feel, how I modeled Jesus, how I loved, how I listened. I want to start focusing on my legacy- life is short, Randy and Suzy were speaking at a marriage conference last weekend and posting pictures of their darling grandkids on Facebook and suddenly they were gone from this earth leaving only their powerful legacy of love and faith.
The story of Randy is inspiring in itself- a healthy athlete who went to camp and in the heat of a competitive obstacle course dove into shallow muddy water- severed his spinal cord and left him with permanent injuries. A few years later he was driving up a mountain to meet students at a Young Life camp in Colorado and the van slid backward down the mountain causing further injuries and left him permanently in a wheel chair, quadriplegic. Instead of feeling sorry for himself or abandoning his relationship with God- he let God deal with his emotions and answered God’s call on his life to counsel and minister to countless people. The weekend before they died, they spoke at a Marriage Conference and in the moments before their death, they were visiting a patient in the hospital and praying with them. Serving and loving every last moment. God used his accident and his “condition” in a mighty way- a counselor is a lot more effective if you feel like they have been through some “stuff”, if they have had some trials that they can relate to you with, if God has brought them through a tough time and you can see His glory on the other side. I want to learn from that too- I want to take trials, thorns in the flesh, tragedy, etc.. and use it for the Lord. I don’t want to give up or lose faith in the trials or tragedy- I want to use it for His glory. Can you just see Randy RUNNING to Jesus? For the first time in many years, He is now eternally whole, healed and complete.
So that is my new mission- I want to focus on my legacy, to serve others, to love others and to show them to Jesus. There is nothing that will change a life and bring joy and freedom to a person like finding a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus…nothing! I want to love others enough to give that to them..unapologetically!
This reminds me of one of my favorite songs (it is on “My funeral” playlist…yes, I have a show flow written out for my funeral- don’t judge- I want to make sure my very last earthly party is DELIGHTFUL!) Anyway- it is “Legacy” by Nichole Nordeman here is the video and lyrics- enjoy! I think Randy and Suzy could listen to this song and say “check” they left an AMAZING legacy. Please join me in praying for their kids Nick and Natalie (and the grandkids, family, etc…)- Natalie is due next month with her 3rd baby and lives out of state, I cannot imaging the heartbreak and pain that they must feel. We know what it is like to be pregnant and emotional (I cried at every episode of “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” when I was pregnant) I cannot imagine something of this emotional magnitude…while 8 months pregnant- unbearable! Please Pray!