Legacy

"I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things” (Legacy, Words and music by Nichole Nordeman,)

I think that there is a real problem in the Christian church today. In this case, when I talk about the “church”, I mean the people and not the organizations. I will also make a lot of generalizations. Just be aware that I know that what I am saying here does not apply to every Christian, just too many for comfort.

Comfort. That seems to be the heart of the problem. The church is comfortable. I'll challenge any pastor out there to find my a passage of scripture that makes it clear Jesus was comfortable at any point in His life. Jesus spent His ministry years traveling, serving, preaching, and working. Most of all, Jesus spent His time on earth doing.

This Saturday, I walked three miles during the Pregnancy Care Center's annual Walk 4 Life. I'm not a fan of abortion (to put it mildly), but rather than sit on my comfy little sofa and gripe about the abortion rate, I feel it is my job to do something to change it. This change, however, can not come about through picketing and harassment. I chose, instead, a more proactive approach.

I know it's easy for people to say that they need to attend to the physical needs of individuals before they are going to care to hear about what you can offer them spiritually. Easy to say... Jesus Himself explified that ideal and fed the 5,000 hungry men (plus women and children), before even thinking about preaching at them.

I hear at least one person a month make a comment in support of action, but what are they really doing? I suppose this goes for Christians and non-Christians alike, though it angers me more when the church sits on its collective rump. We gripe, moan, and complain in the safety net of our peers, but when it comes down to doing, most fall short. I can't tell you how many times I've been met with a blank stare when I've dared to suggest writing a letter to a congressman.

I am tired of listening to bitter diatribes on abortion, when there is a center in town in desperate need of financial support, donations of items, and volunteers. A center that is actively doing something to love these women who so desperately need help making that life altering decision.

“When I climb down the mountain, And get back to my life
I won't settle for ordinary things” (Show Me Your Glory words and music by Mark Lee, Marc Byrd, and Third Day )

We often speak of “mountain top experiences”. But what long term effects do they really serve? My obligation to God's grace mandates me to actively fill a role in society and the closer I get to God, the more of a role I am called upon to fill. So when I come down from that mountain, I should glow with God's grace, as Moses did.

Maslow may have categorized the Hierarchy of Needs, but God created the system. It stands to reason that, in His grace, He would desire those needs to be filled... from the bottom up. From the basics of shelter and food, to the meta-needs of belonging and love.

If I desire a world filled with God's grace, then it is up to me to do my share of imparting that grace to those around me. Whether that means writing a letter of complaint to make a shopping center safer or addressing the hunger needs of the homeless via local food pantries, I must do something. I know I can't do everything, but if I do my part, at least I will be able to sleep soundly knowing that, while I may not have changed the world today, I've done all I could to leave a legacy.

(This idea how been on my heart for months now. A discussion in class on the DIY ideals pushed me to think about it a little more than I already was. I'm inclined to write a sermon on this idea. Though I don't think it would be well received.

I'll probably do it anyway.)