How Will You Be Remembered?

It was a weekend I will never forget. It was a weekend so full of answered prayers I don't even know where to begin. I felt like I was on the verge of tears pretty much the whole weekend I was there, but for once in it felt like in months, it wasn’t because I was sad, hurt, or confused it was because I was in the presence of answered prayer.

Sunday night my sweet friend Meaghan and I sat outside and just star gazed. It was our last night to just hangout and as I looked up I couldn’t help my think about my great grandmother who just passed way all of three days before.

I have been blessed by being apart of an incredible family! I don’t say that because they are perfect, they are not, but the reason I feel blessed is because I come from a long line of people who love Jesus. I come from a legacy of faith. As I sat in the First United Methodist Church of Gordon I listened as her Pastor(s) talked about her. My great granny Youngblood was 102 years-old when she passed. She was sharp right up until the end. Don’t let the age fool you. I was moved to tears not just because I missed her, but was humbled by the incredible blessing, honor, and weight of responsibility I felt in a moment—being one of the many who were related to her.

My great grandmother loved Jesus and loved people! That was without a doubt.

Because of the rainy weather everyone couldn’t go out to the grave sight, so friends and family would just go and come as they please that day and visit. After most of her friends left my dad, step mom, sisters, some cousins, my nana and her sisters and my papa all went over to the grave sight. Afterward some of us walked over a ways to another commentary that was gated. It was the older graves. There were graves from the 1800 and 1900’s. It was fascinating, and I had family that was buried there. My dad was sharing with my cousin Rebecca and I some of the history behind some of the family members. He showed Rebecca and I were our great, great grandparents were buried and told us the funny story of how our grandparents met at a family union. We joked that it explains a lot.

Afterwards I just walked around and looked at the different the graves and was just talking to the Lord. I kept thinking about how I come from a line of men and women who were ministers, church planters, feeders of the poor (yes, I have family who left a legacy and reputation as ones who feed the poor), and faithful church members.

I walked around that old graveyard and thought about new beginnings, and how just that morning I was sitting outside with Meg watching the sunrise before I left. I am so grateful his mercies are new every day. But without sharing too much, the whole weekend felt like a new beginning. My great granny went to be with Jesus Friday afternoon, and in the blink of an eye had a new beginning, and I found it fitting that at the same time I was in the presence of answered prayer all weekend. The Lord did far more that I could ask or imagine. It was the littlest things, but as Meg and I sat under those stars I told her, “God has just spoiled me this weekend. He is so good.”

As I go into the new year, I think about all God has done in this one, and man God has done things I could have never imagined. I started off the year in the Georgia Dome at Passion 2012 and ending the year having seen God moved mightily.

Things defiantly don’t look the way I thought they would, but that is one of the biggest lessons I have learned is that it may not look like you always thought but it will be better than you ever imagined.

I just have to believe that my granny was looking down on me from Heaven this weekend and just smiling, and I simply pray I am half the woman she was. It’s so rare to find a family who not only all get along, but who all love Jesus. When I say I was raised in a Christian family I don’t just mean my mom, dad and sister. I mean I come from a Christian family—that includes pretty much everyone; those still alive and those that have gone before me. I know that is very rare.

I smiled as I talked with my 1^st cousin Matt, and found out that he is now a worship leader at a church in my city; that is just one of many examples of how ministers run in my family.

I walked around that old grave yard and just took in the fact that the faith of those who went before me played a roll in me becoming the women I am today. With the knowledge that I am blessed beyond measure, and that no matter what comes my way I can say this, “I can see were God pursued me. He set me up to win.”

I don’t know what this year holds. I simply pray that I walk out the calling that the Lord had prepared beforehand for me (Eph 2:10). I felt tremendous responsibility fall on me Monday afternoon. Not in a bad way, just simply that God has blessed me, and given me divine favor. I can’t earn nor do I deserve it—that’s grace for you. But He has, and I better be wise with how I use what he has given me. I want to leave a legacy of faith. I want my great, great grandchildren to be able to say of me that I was a woman who loved Jesus and loved people.