Life Legacy

We have a program at the hospice where I work that allows a patient to leave a recorded “story” of their life. They can talk about whatever they want — how they grew up, their family, their regrets, what they’ve lived through, whatever they want to communicate to their family. We call the program Life Legacy.

I recently heard a sermon series where the theme was life legacy; what legacy will you leave behind. The pastor focused on Adam and Eve and their families on down to Jacob. Deceit, lies and jealousy are rampant in their legacy. From Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Esau, Laban and his daughters … wow. Family behaviors and sins can be so invasive. Imagine Jacob lying in his hospice bed and reliving his life story — would have loved to have been there for that one!

These sermons have gotten me to thinking about what things in my life mirror that of my family. Some good and for sure some bad! I have some behaviors and sins that mirror my parents, aunts, uncles and, of course, some of my very own! It all seemed a little overwhelming at first. I was thinking, “Oh, Lord, I can’t change these things! They are too big!” But then I remembered I don’t have to. If I confess my sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive me and change me. I guess that’s what I want my Life Legacy to be — that I depended on God to do what I couldn’t do and any great changes that ever take place in my life are because of Him.

Sally Hall