Leaving a Legacy

She was 98.  A long lifetime, by any measure.  Unfortunately, it was no surprise to us when my husband’s grandmother passed away a few weeks ago.  We knew that she had not been doing well in recent weeks.  We got the news of her death as we were packing for our vacation.  Our vacation destination was to be the very place where she had made her home and raised a family, even helped to found a church.

I really hadn’t known Grandma Gates as well as I would have liked. I met her a few years before she left the Bedford area to live with my husband’s aunt and uncle in York, PA. But the times that I did get to spend with her, they always stick out in my memory.  I remember a joyful lady.  She made others laugh and smile.  She would always tell me that her name, Olga, meant “holy”.  Now who can forget a name like that?! And of course, I heard all of my husband’s wonderful memories of her!

My husband told me of what a great cook she was.  He reminisced about fun summers spent at her house and strawberry picking in the field behind her home.  He told me of her hard working nature, how she took on the tough job of waitressing at some of Breezewood’s most popular restaurants.  He shared with me how his Grandma and Grandpa Gates were founding members of the church my in-laws attend to this very day.

At her funeral, I was struck by how evident her love for Jesus was.  Her faith in God was the cornerstone of her legacy.  There was no doubt about where her heart stood.  I sat in the pew and listened to the lovely words each person had to say.  It dawned on me that each and every person mentioned her deep faith. She loved Jesus and everyone who ever came into contact with her knew it.

As we ended the day with a good, old fashioned meal in the church’s fellowship hall (Oh the ham, the side dishes, the DESSERTS!) all I could think was what a wonderful legacy Grandma Gates had left behind.  She lived out her faith each and every day.  Singing “Jesus Loves Me” until her last days.  And I thought to myself, “Lord, I want that to be me.  I want to be remembered for how much I loved Jesus.”

No matter what curveballs life threw her way, Grandma Gates remained steady in her faith.  She passed it down from generation to generation.  And that is my prayer today, “Lord, let that also be my legacy as well…”

“I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.” 2 Timothy 1:5 (NLT)

“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” – Anna Bartlett Warner

Post by: Marcy Gates

The Gift of Encouragement

Did you know that you are an encouragement to someone? Did you know that your life… you, who you are, is an encouragement to someone else?

Yes, it is!  You may not even know the ways you have been an encouragement to someone, but you have. It could be something you said, a smile you gave, a piece of paper someone saw you throw away, it could have been the way you talked to your child, or how you kept calm during a time of chaos. We don’t always know the impact we have on others around us, a friend or even a stranger. But our lives are an encouragement to those who are watching!

I remember when I first realized this, that my life, my words could unknowingly have an impact on someone else. My husband and I have a friend who is a preacher. One Sunday, years back, we were seated in the congregation listening to his message. He is an intriguing teacher. His creative and on point analogies are what captivate my attention. However, on this occasion, something else entirely, caught my attention. He told a story about a time we were all together and mentioned that I had said something that made him rethink things for his life. My ears and my heart perked up! Little old me? Spoke words that made someone re-evaluate an area of their life? What? He didn’t use specifics and to this day I have no idea what I could have said that impacted him, but I do know that God used me to encourage this friend and possibly change the direction he was headed.

It hit me like a ton of bricks. My words had an impact on someone and I could have gone the rest of my life without knowing it. This got me thinking about how often I may have had an impact on someone, encouraging them and not even known it. I had also thought about all the times someone had done something that encouraged me that I didn’t make a point to share with them, friend or otherwise. How often had I observed someone and felt encouraged and inspired by who they are? How many times had I been inspired to be a better me through someone else’s actions, words or life?!

What a gift! What a gift to know that our life can be an encouragement to those around us. What a gift to know that God can use us to encourage and change others, even if we aren’t explicitly aware.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God." 2 Cor. 1:3-4 (NIV)

Does knowing this change things? Does knowing that your life is an encouragement to those around you now suddenly seem daunting? I wanted to leave you with 3 practical ways to let God use you:

1. Be genuine and transparent. One of the reasons we go through trials and discomfort is so that God can use us to comfort others. Be honest about where you are and what God has done in you, focusing on giving Him glory. Speak truth in love and have compassion toward others. We must rely on the Holy Spirit when we share, so...

2. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Listen to and follow His prompts. He knows what you need and what the people around you need. You never know when He will use you. So, stayed plugged into God’s Spirit.

3. Pray for others. There are needs all around us. Pray for those who might be struggling. If you see that a co-worker might be having a difficult time but they don’t open up and you don’t want to pry, pray. God may be using you in that person’s life. 

Keep on encouraging others ladies!

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

Post by: Jimmie Lee DiIanni