Today is a good day to shape our legacy
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Reflections
Michael J. Brooks
I served the church 30 years ago. I called the church office recently to get a telephone number for a former staffer.
The receptionist is a long-time member, and we chatted a bit. I asked about her son and husband. She asked, “Do you know what I remember about you?”
I was sure she remembered great sermons, loving pastoral care, or the like, but she reminded me about the cockroach.
It was a Sunday night when a cockroach flew out of nowhere and landed on my back. I was oblivious. The music minister whose telephone number I sought was sitting nearby and told me later he didn’t know whether to walk over in the middle of the sermon and swat it away or not. He chose not.
Fortunately, the roach didn’t travel with friends, and at some point decided to walk away. I wasn’t aware of this until afterwards when one of the youth ran to the front of the church to laughingly tell me about the roach attack.
This was akin to the Sunday in my present church when a choir member told me I had a hole in the back of my suit jacket. I’d brought it from the back of the closet that morning and didn’t notice the hole.
I’ve since used this story as an illustration of the Christian soldier in Ephesians 6. The soldier is protected, but vulnerable from the rear. Thus, Christians are to watch one another’s “six” and protect one another. Roaches, holes, or temptation can be creeping up on us.
I’m sure this receptionist had other memories, but it was funny she shared this story. It made me think lately about legacy – how we’ll be remembered.
We parents want to be remembered as being involved in the lives of our children. Regrettably some of us were probably too busy with the demands of work to give our children the time they deserved.
I heard pastor Andy Stanley once talk about refusing night meetings so he could be at home with his family, offering instead to meet inquirers for breakfast at a time of their choosing. He also told about “stair prayers” when his children gathered on the stairs, talked and prayed every night. He’s a wise man.
Perhaps God gives us grandchildren so we have another chance.
What about our professional legacy? The world has too many who shirk work. Don’t we want to be remembered as an asset, a team player and a hard worker?
And at our funeral, we want the pastor to talk about our service to God and His church and how we’ll be missed.
Legacy is important. Today is a gift from God to work on it.
Michael J. Brooks, pastor of Siluria Baptist Church in Alabaster and former Judson College faculty member, writes a weekly faith column. Visit siluriabaptist.com.
