last night at 11:35pm on 5/30/14 Sarah Maude McConatha McLain - my wife's mom - finished creating her legacy - in my profession i am often tasked with looking back over someone's life to give some context as well as encouragement to friends and family - when someone close to you leaves this world it is natural to do it for your own peace - and when it is someone like this awesome lady you realize what legacy truly means
Granny - we all called her - showed us what love of family and other people really meant - you need to understand what i just wrote - she didn't tell us - she showed us! - it was not an act nor merely her actions - she had a loving way of living life - and people loved her too - because she was this loving person - i told someone last night just about 4 hours before her last breath you would have to work very hard to not love Granny - remembering her makes me want to love her family - my family - and her daughter - even more than i already do!
she aslo loved her church - but she wasn't one of those who talked like hers was the perfect church - in her 90 years she had lived in several places in alabama - in the 40+ years i knew her she had called several different churches home - no doubt there was a lot of good - and a lot of - well let's just look over it - and on those few occasions she talked with me about the part that she looked over it was in concern - never bashing - because she got it - she understood that church is not a building - it is not a program or even a ministry - her church was this group of people that God had given her to love and pray for - they were the ones He had given her to do spiritual life with - she knew they counted on her to be there - and she was - a few years ago - when she was in her early 80's - whenever i was guest speaker at a church i liked to request prayer for her whenever she was sick - i would ask everyone to pray for her because - as i explained - she was much needed at her home church - she drove the "old" ladies to worship every sunday! - someone is also counting on me this sunday - tomorrow - it would not honor her legacy to not be there
and she loved her God - can i ask what is important to you? - here's a hint - everyone around you can see it - by looking at your children - it's not 100% but it's true a vast majority of the time - (pay attention if you don't have kids yet) - if you love money then so will they - if you are more connected to work than home then they will be too - but if you love God supremely your kids will also - they may forget for a season - they may even rebel - but they can never get forever away from Him - that's scripture - and Granny proved it - not by talking or arguing or badgering - by training up her children to follow God through her own example
so thank you Granny - firstly and selfishly i say thank you for raising a daughter that has become an awesome wife - and mother - and grandmother - but thanks for also reminding us that what we do and accomplish in this world is secondary to what we leave behind in someone else
so now it's my time - and yours - what kind of legacy will we leave our own children and grandchildren? - i'll look for you at church tomorrow morning
Granny - we all called her - showed us what love of family and other people really meant - you need to understand what i just wrote - she didn't tell us - she showed us! - it was not an act nor merely her actions - she had a loving way of living life - and people loved her too - because she was this loving person - i told someone last night just about 4 hours before her last breath you would have to work very hard to not love Granny - remembering her makes me want to love her family - my family - and her daughter - even more than i already do!
she aslo loved her church - but she wasn't one of those who talked like hers was the perfect church - in her 90 years she had lived in several places in alabama - in the 40+ years i knew her she had called several different churches home - no doubt there was a lot of good - and a lot of - well let's just look over it - and on those few occasions she talked with me about the part that she looked over it was in concern - never bashing - because she got it - she understood that church is not a building - it is not a program or even a ministry - her church was this group of people that God had given her to love and pray for - they were the ones He had given her to do spiritual life with - she knew they counted on her to be there - and she was - a few years ago - when she was in her early 80's - whenever i was guest speaker at a church i liked to request prayer for her whenever she was sick - i would ask everyone to pray for her because - as i explained - she was much needed at her home church - she drove the "old" ladies to worship every sunday! - someone is also counting on me this sunday - tomorrow - it would not honor her legacy to not be there
and she loved her God - can i ask what is important to you? - here's a hint - everyone around you can see it - by looking at your children - it's not 100% but it's true a vast majority of the time - (pay attention if you don't have kids yet) - if you love money then so will they - if you are more connected to work than home then they will be too - but if you love God supremely your kids will also - they may forget for a season - they may even rebel - but they can never get forever away from Him - that's scripture - and Granny proved it - not by talking or arguing or badgering - by training up her children to follow God through her own example
so thank you Granny - firstly and selfishly i say thank you for raising a daughter that has become an awesome wife - and mother - and grandmother - but thanks for also reminding us that what we do and accomplish in this world is secondary to what we leave behind in someone else
so now it's my time - and yours - what kind of legacy will we leave our own children and grandchildren? - i'll look for you at church tomorrow morning
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