A Quiet Legacy

Let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

“As a parent, I often sit back and wonder if I will be half the mother to my kids that my mom was to me,” my friend Jill said over the phone one day as we chatted about our families. “She has taught me so many things throughout life that she doesn’t even know she did.”

“She was always doing things for others,” she continued. “A couple of years back, a friend shared a story about my mom that I never knew. At the time, the friend’s mother was battling cancer and not given long to live. On the way home from work, my mom would randomly stop in to see how she was doing. She would spend time with her on those days so she didn’t have to be alone. No one ever asked my mom to do it, she just knew in her heart that the small gift of quality time, of friendship, was what the woman needed. It was an act that speaks volumes about who my mother is as a person.”

As Jill told me this, I couldn’t help but think what a great example her mother was setting for her children, even unintentionally, and how much it meant to Jill to hear what a blessing her mom had been to a friend. “Sometimes it’s the small things, the little acts of love we do when we think no one is looking, that mean the most,” I said.

Later on, I thought again about the quiet legacy Jill’s mom was leaving through her everyday actions. She wasn’t putting on a show or acting in front of others, she was just going through her day, genuinely loving those around her.

Scripture encourages us that we shouldn’t get tired of doing good and that we will harvest blessings when we don’t give up. Those blessings aren’t limited to the love we receive in return but also come through the legacy we leave for those around us who are watching and following in our footsteps.

Kendra

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Who is someone that you can show love to and do good for? Spend a little time thinking about the many blessings that come through your good deeds.