Legacy

We will all leave a legacy of some kind, an inheritance, accomplishment, reputation, something that stands as a memorial to who we were and what we stood for. What will your descendants find about you when they look back at your life? What legacy will you leave behind?

 

 

2MefromHim Devotionals

A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children… Proverbs 13:22

We hear a lot about legacy these days. Politicians want to leave a positive impact from their time in office. Mass murderers want their 15 minutes of fame. Most people want to leave the world better in some way, even if only for their family.

My husband and I recently had DNA tests done by Ancestry.com. Some of the results were surprising, but most were predictable. We are the products of a unique configuration of our ancestor’s genes, however, DNA tests can’t tell us what our forbearers were like as individuals.

Photos of my ancestors back to my third great grandparents hang above my writing desk. They were hard-working, simple, and honest people who never amassed great fortunes or fine heirlooms. Pastors, teachers, ranchers, farmers, soldiers, patriots—a snapshot of Americana hangs on my wall. Immigrants from other lands, brave pioneers who followed danger-fraught trails west in covered wagons, I am proud to have such a legacy of courage and integrity.

My ancestors left a heritage of resilience, of hard work, and survival. Some marked in their Bibles, a testament of faith when war, disease, and the Depression made life hard. I am proud to descend from people who helped make America great. Some chronicled hard times in letters, others left behind well-worn Bibles. Most important, are the signs of faith, the testimony that they trusted God through struggle and joy.

The testimony that matters to God is one of godly obedience and service.  Sacrifice and determination  are necessary to pass on a godly example that will impact future generations. I doubt I would be where I am today without the prayers of my grandmother. The only legacy that lasts forever, is that of a faith that leads to God’s throne of grace, and the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”.

We will leave behind a lasting impression on those whose lives we touched. It behooves us to work diligently to bequeath a testimony of faith and honor for God. It’s never too soon to take steps ensuring a godly legacy will pass to our descendants, offering hope that will endure one hundred years from now—a testimony that promises eternity and blessing. Choose well.

© Copyright, Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, July 5, 2016

About the author:

Norma Gail is the author of the contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 40 years. They have two adult children.

Connect with Norma:

Website: www.normagail.org

Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Norma-Gail/e/B00ILHXBAK/

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbZIoC_JSE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+NormaGailwrites

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/normagailth/boards/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2

Book Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Bookstore: http:// lpcbooks.com/product/land-of-my-dreams/

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864?ean=9781941103173