I grew up listening to Steve Green, a popular Christian music artist in the ‘80s and ‘90s. My parents would play his music in the car and at home so it didn’t take long before I had all of his songs memorized. “Find Us Faithful,” one of his most popular songs, was chosen as the theme song for the year at the school my children attend. As such, I have either heard it or sang it several times in the past month. All the words to the song are beautiful, but the final verse always causes my eyes to fill with tears:
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we’ve left behind
May the clues that they discover
And the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them
To the road we each must find
(Written by Jon Mohr, 1987)
What kind of legacy are we leaving for those who come behind us? Are we leaving behind something that will help guide them in their Christian walk? Or are we leaving behind something that will cause them to stumble?
I have had rough patches in my journey of faith, but I have also had times where I trusted God when circumstances seemed impossible. Through all the highs and lows this life brings, I pray that I leave a legacy of faithfulness to those who come behind me. Most of all, I pray that my children develop a personal relationship with Jesus and that at the end of my life they can say these three things about me:
She loved Jesus.
She loved my dad.
She loved me.
I believe that’s a legacy worth leaving.
– Jen Elgersma
Photo by Laura Fuhrman on Unsplash