“When you are in the final days of your
life, what will you want?
Will you hug that college degree in the
walnut frame? Will you ask to be carried to the garage so you can sit in your
car? Will you find comfort in rereading your financial statement? Of course
not. What will matter then will be people. If relationships will matter most
then, shouldn't they matter most now?” -MAX LUCADO-
There has been a lot of death in my life
lately. A few children in our community passed away right before
Christmas. One after Christmas. Plus, a
death in our family recently.
I've always known "you never know
how long you have with someone", but it has definitely hit me harder
lately.
There's so much talk in the Christian
community these days about leaving a legacy.
While I think you should always want to leave the world better off, this
world really isn't about me. I can be a
selfish person who makes it about me quite a lot, but I'm trying to think about
others more often. If you are someone
others count on, especially in hard seasons, you are living a remarkable life
in my opinion. After all, when this world
passes away, what is left? Only the
souls of everyone you interacted with....
There is a song by the band "For
King and Country"...
"God only knows what you've been
through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows how it's killing you
But there's a kind of love that God only
knows
God only knows what you've been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows the real you
There's a kind of love that God only
knows"
Be kind. God really is the only one who
knows. You don't. When someone opens up to you, you don't always need to offer
advice or give your opinion... Most of the time they just want a listening ear.
Actually, always offering advice is condescending and insulting. God only
knows. You don't.
It took me way too long to realize you
shouldn't stay close friends with people who never ask how you're doing. I'm
not talking about busy schedules. We all have those. As I've gotten older, I
can tell the difference between those who really love me and those who care at
their own convenience.
I want to be remembered as someone who
was there. Present. For anyone who needed a listening ear or a praying mouth.
Life is complicated. People are complicated. Don't give up on them. Don't give
up on you. You matter. You are loved more than you could ever fathom by a
Savior who will love you no matter what.
This life is all about people and the connections I make with each one
that comes into my life, and I just want to spend my time making sure others
know how truly valued their life is.
One of my absolute favorite songs from
my favorite band...
-LIFEHOUSE-
Love,
Leslie
