If I could leave a legacy that exemplified these six words, I’d die happy!
First, I want folks to say, “She loved the Lord with all her heart ❤️ and she sincerely loved her family and friends.” 🥰
(Yes, my family is a huge part of my legacy… they will live on and on … and hopefully exemplify the values I hold so dear!)
Additionally, may they say, “She was ethical and lived a life of integrity. Trying to avoid hypocrisy, Jan lived to show her faith on her sleeve, striving to behave in a way that would be pleasing to God.”
Gracious living means extending to others the undeserved love and forgiveness, the acceptance, inclusion, and hospitality that we received daily from the Lord. May they say, “She was gracious.”
I hope my legacy includes the idea of attentiveness to others, attentiveness to the details of the responsibilities assumed, and daily attention to prayer and Bible Study. I happily shared those with others. A desired part of my legacy would include, “Jan was attentive.”
Daily I asked God to help me shine His compassion through me to others. My heart reached out regularly to family, friends, former students, neighbors, and others in need. Strangers were just “friends I hadn’t met yet.” I would like my legacy to include, “She was compassionate.”
Yummy? It’s not that I want to be considered yummy, it is that I love to cook. As part of my legacy, may I be remembered as someone who delighted in preparing yummy meals for Bob and for guests in our home. May I be remembered as someone whose greatest joy was in serving others.
Hebrews 13:2 “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
When I leave this earth and join the heavenly angels, I am counting on seeing all those saints who went on before me… And we’ll feast on heavenly food and feed the scraps to all my Boston Terriers who’ll be there at the pearly gates to greet me.
Yes, you’re in my life for a reason. Thanks for showing up on my blog!
Thank you for exploring with me A to Z ways of adding more meaning to our daily lives, ways to decode the world around us, ways to live more intentionally to fulfill our purpose.
Today we are on the letter D. I could have used the word DEVOTION, because it is so important that we express our praise and devotion to our Maker and offer thanks to Him every day. But, instead, I decided to use the word DECODE – – – with an emphasis on devotion.
Decode the World Around Us
D ecide E veryday to C ompassionately love O thers and D eal with E verything fairly
Decide to
Look for
and fight for
Justice
Equality
and Balance
In their book, Spiritual Literacy,
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
wrote the following,
“Express your feelings of …
adoration through devotional practices.
Pray with words and pray through your actions.”
Decode through Prayer and Bible Study
In a world filled with hate, cruelty, and divisiveness, we can find ways through prayer and Bible study to decode the world around us and live more lovingly, more purposefully, and more intentionally as Brothers and Sisters. Our adoration must be directed heavenward and to one another… not on things that are temporary. Pray fervently for our leaders, for world peace, and for the understanding of friends and family, allies and foes.
Pray for the wisdom to see and understand and act on God’s purposes for you today.
Yesterday was the 25th of April. Each day I read a chapter in Proverbs to correspond with the day of the month (Proverbs has 31 chapters). Chapter 25’s subheading in my Eugene H. Peterson’s translation, The Message, is “The Right Word at the Right Time.”
Find wisdom in the Book of Wisdom, Proverbs, which contains the wise sayings of Solomon:
Proverbs 25: 8 “Don’t jump to conclusions – There may be a perfectly good explanation for what you saw.”
So, we reserve judgement – and as we seek to decode what we see and hear, we look for ways to be affirmative or compassionately corrective.
Verses 11 and 12 say, “The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry, And a wise friend’s timely reprimand is like a gold ring slipped on your finger.”
Be a reliable friend.
See and fulfill your purpose through the gift of reliability!
Be a cool drink in the sweltering heat of friends’ lives!
Decode the World though Giving
Give generosity instead of animosity. You get what you give!
Give goodness instead of rudeness. You get what you give!
But, don’t give to get! Let your motives be pure love. Give without expecting anything in return.
Just Do it!
Step out in Faith!!
Your world will clear up,
detangle, be kinder,
and you will live in greater inner peace –
if you decode with devotion,
prayer, Bible study,
friendship,
and selfless giving.
