…He also set eternity into the hearts of men. (Eccl. 3:11)

 

I held her wrinkled, gnarled hand gently. The clippers in my hand only snipped tiny pieces of a nail at a time. It took longer this way, but one big clip always caused her to jump. I’m not sure if it really hurt. But arthritis fills each joint in her fingers. I needed to work beyond careful.

It took me two years to convince her to let me clip her nails. Two years. Now I’m the only one she allows to do this for her.

As I gave my 88 year old neighbor a manicure yesterday she said, “I’ve asked the Lord to let me live until I’m 100.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Really” she said adamantly.

I didn’t know how to explain my surprise. How do you say to somebody, “Why do you want  to do that? You can’t see. You can barely walk. Your hands don’t work. Your shoulder is in extreme pain. You’re seeing things, and you sit in this apartment days upon days alone….Why do you want to do this for twelve more years?!”

I couldn’t say all that to her.

But her prayer, despite her situation and failing body, proved a fact I’ve been pondering for awhile.

There’s something inside of us that desires to live forever.

This is nothing new. How many adventurers lost their lives searching for the fountain of youth?

Why do we fight the odds when disease strikes?

Why do we fight death?

Because God made us that way. He placed the knowledge and desire for eternity in our hearts.

But death is a part of this life. None are immune. Only Enoch escaped the death step into eternity. God carried him off in chariots of fire or something like that.

 

 

We cannot escape this part of life. So…what do we do with this desire to live forever?

We live with purpose beyond today. We live in the today, but we do everything with eternal vision. We live knowing we’ve got only so many days to make a difference here until we graduate to the other realm where we can make a difference there.

 

[tweetability]We are born with the desire to live forever because we were made for eternity. We were made for a lasting living with our Creator.[/tweetability]

 

I want to live in such a way today that if I’m gone tomorrow, if I’ve slipped through those ethereal curtains to the other side, there’s something of me still on this earth to whisper eternity, love, and Jesus to my loved ones I’ve left behind. I want to leave a legacy. That’s living with purpose beyond today.

How do you leave a legacy?

One of my friends showed me cookbooks her mom made out of photo albums. She typed all her personal recipes with notes and explanations. Linda said, “She talks to me in her cookbooks.” My friend’s mom left a legacy for generations to come.

My great-aunt made afghans. We are warmed by her love all year long though she’s been gone for years.

My grandfather and I rode horses together. The wonderful memories of the smell of the barn and red Oklahoma dirt will be etched into my heart forever.

Leave a legacy. It doesn’t have to look spiritual. It just has to be made with love. Love and faith are the legacy. Give them away to your neighbors, your children, your grandchildren.

Maybe your legacy will be your love for life or your notes in your Bible.

What does your legacy look like? What will you leave behind to help others follow you home?

Much love,