What to leave behind

One recent morning I came upon these words ofKing Solomon which reference the things he has toiled for and what happens tothem when he dies: “. . . I leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knowswhether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control overall the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under thesun. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 2:18-19).

Not exactly inspirational. I’ve oftenwondered if Solomon might have been a bit down when he wrote those first twochapters in Ecclesiastes. Later that morning, while waiting for adoctor’s appointment, I picked up a magazine. Photos of a beautifully appointedcoastal home graced several pages. The homeowner wanting to abandon the neutralpalette which is so popular these days had asked the designer to drench herhome in color. The designer did just that, and the result was breathtaking. Buta sad note was included. The homeowner died just after the photos were taken.

Solomon is right. I’ve watched through theyears how one generation leaves the fruit of a lifetime of work in property orfunds to the next and sometimes, within a short amount of time, it is gone. AndI wonder if that beautiful home I read about so filled with the personality ofthe owner was returned to a neutral palette in order to be sold.

Then, as I  pondered those back-to-back messages, I raninto a woman who had lost her husband in recent years and was wondering whetherto write their love story for her children and grandchildren. It had beensomething long on her heart to do, but as so many of us have experienced, shewas having trouble getting started. I love to motivate folks in their writing,and I strongly encouraged her to begin that process. I told her about myearlier messages and how if we’re going to leave a legacy, it better besomething that can’t be taken out of a bank or painted over. Because thosethings are here today and gone tomorrow. But our witness and our testimony goon in the lives of all those with whom we share. And getting that witness downon paper or in a digital format where it can be passed along is important.

That is one of the reasons I do what I do.I know the testimony of others has meant so much in my life and continues toencourage me even though some of those folks have passed on. I’ve shared herebefore about my aunt Nell who learned how to use a computer and obtained herGED at the age of eighty. She had long wanted to do that after lifecircumstances stood in the way of her getting her degree. A strong believer, shewent on to write stories from her life which have been shared with family.I cannot tell you how precious those words are to me and how they continue toinspire me. I hope to do the same for someone else, if even in a small way.

Thereis power in how God has written the stories of our lives. The apostle Johnwrote in Revelation “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and bythe word of their testimony” (Rev. 12:11). When we declare what God has donefor us, we gain victory over the enemy’s ploys.

If the Lord has put something in your heartto do that would leave a witness for those coming after you, please do it. TheLord once said to me when I was wavering, “Just start.” So just start whateverit is that is pressing in on you. You may not think you have what it takes, butif you start, the Lord will give you what you need as you go. As I told thewoman the other day. You write and more comes.

So let me know if you decide to press ahead.I’d love to hear how you’re doing. 

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-24260977-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();Beverly Varnado's most recent book is In Search of the Painted Bunting, a middle grade historical from Elk Lake Publishing, #1 in new releases in its category. She is also the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.comTo sign up for her newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/dHNdsX Beverly Varnado copyright 2023