When people hear your name, what kind of person do they think of? Someone who is compassionate? Kind? Someone who cares?
Or do other descriptions come to mind…
Like someone who is impatient? Judgmental? Or selfish?
It can be sobering to stop and think about what our name means to others. In Proverbs 22:1, it says,
“A good name is to be chosen above great riches.â€
The way we live our lives–the things we say and do—affects others, whether we realize it or not. And it especially affects our kids.
I love Nichole Nordeman’s song, Legacy, and how she says…
“I want to leave a legacy.
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love?
Did I point to You enough
to make a mark on things?â€
Stopping to consider how the choices we make affect those along our path, and trying to live our lives the way Jesus lived His, can help us to stay focused on what is important. It can help us to…
Choose to love, even when loving is not easy.
Be patient, even if we’re naturally impatient.
Reach out to others, even though it can be scary.
Take time to serve, even though we are busy.
And keep our word, even though it’s sometimes inconvenient.
Doing what it takes to choose a good name for yourself can be hard. There have been many times I’ve tried on my own to be more patient. It’s just not one of my natural abilities. But when I look to Jesus for help, it becomes easier. Because He is the name above all names…
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower.†Proverbs 18:10
And when we rely on Him and His awesome power and grace, He cradles our name in His, and envelops us in His legacy of love.
Great post Genny. A great reminder that our lives are to ‘reflect’ who Jesus is. Allowing God to work all of those characteristics in our lives is difficult but rewarding.
Thank you Genny.
Thank you for this devotion today. Wonderful reminder!!!
When my husband’s precious 96 year old grandmother went to be with the Lord in March, I created a slideshow of her amazing life set to Nicole Nordeman’s Legacy song–what was meant to be a tribute to our sweet Grammy also became a clarion call to view our lives in terms of the things people will remember us by–a legacy of blessing, love, compassion–I pray these will be the terms associated to our legacies–
Beautiful post–thank you!
Blessings!
Beautiful and inspiring words Genny. Thank yoU!!
The Bible says that a good name is to be desired more than riches. I want my children’s children to remember that I loved Jesus with all my heart!
funny how a name from your childhood can remind you of someone you liked/disliked. i really enjoyed this post. and one of my deepest desire is to bring the name “mama” as a joy, comfort and assurance to my boys. great post!
Blessing Genny! Very touching and inspiring! I had a blog post with this title and I never did this well…Thank you for an excellent, well written post connecting with verses and one of my new favorites…Legacy…YES…HE IS my strong tower and I needed that reminder but HE is my LEGACY or has left me such a legacy, I will never not have a reason to share HIS LEGACY with others! God bless and thanks for the great post!
The words to that song just hit me. I’ve been filling out a questionnaire from my agent and I was struggling with the question “What is your purpose?” The words to Legacy, gave me my answer!
I have been challenged in this area a lot lately! I know all the things I desire for my name to be associated with and….I know all the things the enemy wants it to be associated with! What a great reminder! My quiet time devotion this morning was right along these lines as well so, the Lord had spoken to me today in an area of need! Thank you for being a vessel He can use!
Thanks for a great reminder. I do try to do those things, but need all the help I can get from the Lord! And I have LOTS of room for improvement.