My Legacy

I recently read a blog on Momlogic about a mother dying of cancer. She spent her last days planning and teaching her husband how to care for their 2 small children. The blog spent a lot of time talking about how she taught her husband how to pick out clothes for their daughter and how to fix her hair. The blog wrote of how she made birthday cards for all the birthdays she would miss. It was a sad blog but not in ways you may have thought. It was sad, yes, because she died at only the age of 29 and left a 4 year old and a 2 year old. But, what I found sad was that she never talked, or so it seemed in the blog, to her children about what it was like to be a person of influence for Christ. It only talked about teaching her husband about how to deal with the outward appearance and what schools the children should attend. Not one word was said about what the mother would want to say to the daughter later on in life about being a women of grace, mercy, and justice.

It got me thinking about what I would want to say to my kids if I knew my time was limited. If I knew that I wouldn't see their birthdays and their many Christmas's to come, what would I want to radiant to them from their mom. Here's just a short list from the mom of Grace, Hope, and baby #3.

1. God's plans are not always our own. We don't understand why things happen in life, but we do know that God holds us and his strength is sufficient for all our needs. It's okay to not understand. It's okay to ask questions and not know the answers.

2. The good men are few and far between. You have to search and wait. Wait as long as it takes to find just the right one. Never settle for LESS than God's absolute best. Your daddy is a great example of a good man. If a man doesn't open the door and treat you like a princess, then keep looking.

3. You are both the most beautiful people I know, but if you don't show others love, mercy, and fight for justice then you are nothing but a pretty face. Seeing people in their hearts and in their time of need and doing something about it, that's what makes you beautiful.

4. When you choose what you are going to wear for the day, remember that if you wouldn't wear it in front of your dad then you need to go change. Men like the mystery. I know society tells you otherwise, but when it comes time for those boys in high school to marry they won't be marrying the girls who slept with the entire football team. They will be looking for a girl with virtue, purity, and a self confidence in who she is. And you can only find that in your relationship with Christ.

5. God is the compass of your life. If you life your life without God being the center of it all, then you live a meaningless life. I want your life to be full of fun, smiles, and laughter. Even in the hard times, when you have God you can find a smile in knowing that you don't have to worry about tomorrow.

6. I love you more than life itself. I cherish you. Your daddy and I love each other through a lot of hard days. Grace, Hope, and baby #3, you all are the sunshine of our life. God's mercies are new every morning but so are your smiles. Fresh as the morning dew!