Godly Legacy

Eenar Lee wrote this great devotional:

“God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill.” ~ Acts 17:27-29

As we approach the end of the year, I often reflect on my "accomplishments" for the year. The following is my list for 2008:
1. My daughter started school
2. I became a co-life group leader.
(The End)

This year's list seems surprisingly short....previous years, there are big events such as graduations, new job, child birth, wedding, move, or even divorce, sickness/death in the family, etc. As years pass, I have fewer and fewer "accomplishments" I can show for.

Here are my stats: I'm working, renting and single parenting. I rush between work, daycare/school and home everyday. On good days, my daughter will have a home made dinner (and leftovers for lunch), most days, it's PB&J for Breakfast and lunch and something store bought for dinner. On weekends, we juggle between family, church and errands. My excuse to myself and my daughter always has been, I'm sorry, I don't have time, if only I didn't have to work. I'm sorry, you can't buy that, if only I made more money. I'm sorry; we can't go, if only we had more energy. I'm sorry we can't..., if only...
It dawned on me.. that's my legacy this year "I'm sorry, we can't...., if only...."
This is NOT what I want my daughter to learn from me. This is not how I want my friends to think of me. This is not how I want my family to see me - as someone who's always finding excuse for her circumstances.

Then I wonder: What kind of legacy will I be leaving for my daughter? How much have I grown? Is there anything I have done this year that people or my daughter to remember me as me?

As a Christian, I try to live my motto as I'm here for a purpose. God sent me here to be a blessing to those around me. I'm not here to be popular, I'm not here to conquer the universe, I'm not here to discover the unknown, but I am here to be the light of the world. I want my daughter, friends and family to say, Eenar was a good mother, a good daughter, a good aunt, a good friend and most of all a good Christian. I want my behavior to reflect that. I want people to remember me as "Eenar cared about me, made my life brighter, or better, or more blessed, or more joyful."

I think that I can achieve that by appreciating my surroundings, my family, and my friends. Instead of rushing the very minute I wake up. I can be thankful for a peaceful night. I can be thankful for my daughter (who is still sound asleep)- for her health and her bright smile. For a blessed day to look forward to. Before I hit the road, I should think about all the other drivers who are also on the road fighting to get themselves to school or work. Think that some patience and consideration would make my drive and their drive so much more pleasant. While dropping my daughter off at school, instead of running in and out, I can stay and make sure my daughter is comfortable, smile at one of her care-takers, say hi to another parent or their child. At work, rather than complaining about the workload, gossips with other employees, I am thankful that I have a job that pays for bills and expenses. I focus on my work and think of how lives my work can affect. At night, I can spend more time with my daughter going through her day at school, our plans, read some stories, and sing off-tune veggie-tale tunes in the shower. Before bedtime, we can pray and be thankful for an eventful, fun, exciting day and thank God for being with us every step of the way. And pray that others will also experience God as we have. Love God as we do. And thank God for who He is.

Whether you're 15 or 85, through our actions, temperament, words, behavior, we leave a legacy. I pray that our legacy is one which reflects God's image and whom God has created us to be.