Legacy
📖Daily Reading
Exodus 23-26
🎥 Video
Join me on my morning walk as we rise and shine together by walking through the Bible daily and learn a practical applicable coaching nugget from the ultimate life coach - our creator (whatever that means to you). No judgement zone here, all are welcome, we are all on a spiritual journey because we are after all spiritual beings having a human experience.
📝 Reflection
I think about legacy a lot now that I am closing in on 50. This wasn’t always the case. In fact, a several of those that came before me lived their lives in such a way that had me intentionally seeking a life of pleasure, ‘live in and for the moment’ and staying in the shallows. In particular my father, who left this life at age 56 due to his over consumption of alcohol. He was a complicated man, a man of faith who pursued a doctorate in philosophy and systematic theology, went Yale Divinity School and UVa PhD program, from an upper middle-class ‘good’ family, an ordained minister, a professor, a writer, an activist - but also abusive at times, and someone who suffered with mental health in the forms of depression, anxiety and maybe un diagnosed bi-polar. He was my Jekyll and Hyde, the best person I knew and the worst person all wrapped up in one messy package. I share all of this only to demonstrate that alcohol does not discriminate and neither do mental health issues. Being smart, well educated, and being well resourced does not inoculate one from trouble, but in our pride we can fool ourselves into thinking that these things must mean that we ‘can’t admit we have struggles like this’. We become high functioning despite these struggles to justify and further deceive ourselves and prove to ourselves and the world we ‘have it together’.
The truth is we are not fooling anyone, it is a house of cards that eventually falls under its own weight. I was watching this even as a young child and getting mixed message and quite honestly I was so confused, hurt and angry. I thought ‘well if this is what elite education and God gets you - then no thanks!’. I intentionally went in the opposite direction for many years - intentionally avoiding any elite institutions and (actually looking down on and judging those who attended or were impressed by them), church and God. Ironically I got to a place of drinking more wine 🍷 than I wanted on a regular basis, sitting on my high horse of judgement, and starting to struggle with depression and anxiety due to my hypocritical heart and mind.
God loves, He pursues and He redeems! My father may not have left the legacy that he wanted - but I can - and with God’s love, grace and mercy redeem not only my legacy but my father and others in my family. At least this is my prayer and hope. I feel my father, my uncles, my grandparents, my cousins cheering me on from the other side of the veil in the realm of heaven.📣👏🎉. I honor them and stand on their shoulders. I know they did the best they could with what they knew. So I do not share this to disparage or dishonor. It is my reality and part of my story, often life on earth in this thing called being human is messy, confusing and complicated especially when we are prideful and try to do things on our own and in our own strength according to our own limited understanding.
When I became a momma at age 30 my perspective began to slowly shift from being self absorbed and pleasure seeking to thinking about another life that I was now responsible for. It has been a slow awakening for me and a slowly dipping my toes into the water of the possibility of believing their might be a creator to where I am now as a Christ believer and follower. I still have a long way to go, but the concept of being intentional about the legacy I want to leave is important to me, but it is not about me. It is not about me-and yet it is, it is about what my life and the choices I make and what I choose to do that hopefully inspire others and activate something in them that needed to be activated. It is about surrendering to the walk of faith and opening my heart and mind to the mystery and majesty of God. Believing whole heartedly now that Jesus is who he said he was. He gave His life for me and you, gave me the gift of life I want to do my best everyday now to give that gift back to Him. I want to choose the narrow way that often does not make sense to my human/ego self and have a God sized adventurous wide open life.
✍🏼Daily Journal Prompt
Have you thought about your legacy? What does my story stir up within you?
📖Tomorrows Reading
Exodus 27-29
Coaching Opportunity
Let's make 2023 the year of YOU by laying a solid foundational mind set! The world needs what only you have to offer! Give yourself the best gift ever, the best version of you is ready to rise & shine!
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If you have stuck with me this far, then you are not reading this by accident, I believe God has a plan for you and is calling you forward!😉🤩
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