A Coal Miner's Legacy

    A couple of months ago I spoke to someone who was really down on themselves. They felt as though they had nothing to offer and had achieved nothing in their life. They were upset because they had not achieved success by the world's standards and felt that when they died there would be no legacy, no one or nothing to remember them by.  I at first tried to persuade them that leaving a legacy wasn't really important, that it didn't really matter, I told them that it was more important to love God than worry about leaving a legacy to be remembered, but this didn't work. They explained to me that it was important to them to know that they had done something with their life, that they had accomplished something in their life. So I asked them, if you are so concerned about leaving a legacy why not leave one that points to Jesus? Why not leave a legacy of love and faith? You love God so why worry about the world's standards, just worry about loving like Jesus and you will have been a success to God and could leave a legacy that will inspire your children and grandchildren.
       They didn't buy this either at first until I shared with them about my great-grandfather, a man I never met, but someone's whose legacy has touched my heart and mind since I was a little girl. My great-grandfather was poor, a coal miner in a small community with 6 children. From everything I have ever heard about him from anyone he was a good man, a God fearing man who loved others with his whole heart, he was the type of man to help anyone in need, even if it meant sacrificing things or needs of his own.  My great-grandfather didn't live long, only until he was 47, but the newspaper clipping and my grandma's own words describe his funeral as the biggest that their small community had ever seen.
       This man lived a life that is described as honest, and caring and he died hero, giving his life in an attempt to save two others when a mine collapsed. All three would perish but my grandfather's memory was lasting. I grew up hearing his name often, seeing his pictures and hearing of the love he extended to others. Whenever I would met extended family at reunions or parties and tell them who I was related to always I heard the same, "He was a good man and loved the Lord, he impacted me or my family in this way." Growing up it seemed that just by loving people and being kind my grandfather had touched lives in a lasting way, and this inspired me.
       As I mentioned earlier in this post, it was told to me and presented in a newspaper clipping that he had had the largest funeral their small community had ever seen, and it was all because he loved. He had no idea how many lives he impacted by his love and faith, by simply doing what we are all called to do, love each other. Knowing that, and thinking often about how he died and his funeral I realized that the only legacy worth leaving is one that points to Jesus. One that leaves hearts, lives, and families forever impacted by the love you have shown. His final selfless act of love ended his life, but his memory lives on because of the love he shared and the lessons in love that he taught grandchildren he would never know. His heart for others reaped support for his family in ways this humble man never would have imagined, but even he would have told you that it was because of God in his life and his faith that he was able to love like this.
       By the world's standards this may not be much of a legacy, he wasn't rich or famous, he didn't have nice things or break some world record. He didn't get his face on a box of Wheaties, or go down in the history books, but his love and faith touched others. His life was an example to me of what a Godly man should be like, patient, selfless, loving and kind, willing to go that extra mile for someone else, even at the cost of your own life. Three generations later his short life is still impacting people and I hope that when I tell of him to my children too that his legacy will continue to touch others for Christ. To me this is the only kind of legacy worth leaving. Be blessed my friends, thank you for taking the time to read what was on my heart today.

1 Corinthians13:1-3
 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Philippians 2:3-5
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

1 John 3:18
Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth