Day 30---Day 30

List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

I watched a video the other day... it was about a guy who passed away at a fairly young age. At his funeral, the pastor had asked a couple of people to come up front and share about this guy, and what part he played in their life. After these two people shared, someone else got up and shared. And then another. And yet another. This funeral service turned into a time of sharing how this man played a part in so many peoples lives. It was so cool to see the ways in which Jesus used this man to change lives. But with all the stories that were shared, you can wrap what every one said into one word...love.

This man loved people. He was there for so many people when they needed someone to be there the most. He was always reaching out to the hurt, the lost, the broken, the poor. It was amazing. I was crying by the end of the video. But more than that, this man loved Jesus with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. Jesus was everything to him and that is how these people knew him and would always remember him by. And in return, he was able to share that love with a lot of people. Jesus used this man to reach out to so many people. He brought so many people to Christ by simply loving them with the same kind of love that Jesus has for us.

This part of the post doesn't have much to do with the question, but I wanted to share this part of the story with you! The most amazing thing about this man... Before he gave his life to Christ, he was a mess. He was heavy into drinking, drugs, and who knows what. He ended up jail. His wife wanted a divorce. And on top of all this, he ended up in the hospital from having a heart attack. He was at a very low point in his life. But in that moment, God moved in his heart. He ended up giving his life to Jesus. He quit his big fancy job, him and his family moved out of their big fancy house. His life was forever changed. He began feeding the poor. He was a friend to people who didn't have anyone else to turn to. He was there for them. He loved them. He wasn't doing all of this just to be a nice guy, and he wasn't being fake about it. He genuinely loved these people. But at the funeral, nobody talked about his past and all the mistakes he had made.

That is the beautiful thing about Christ. He takes us undeserving, messed up, broken, sad, angry, depressed people and he gives us new life. He makes us new. And your life will forever be changed. It's truly a beautiful thing. After surrendering his life to the Lord, when people encountered this man, instead of seeing his past mistakes and the mess that he was, they see Jesus in him. The past is forgotten and washed away by the blood of Jesus.

Back to the question now...

 I don't care about how many things I am remembered for. There is one thing that matters...I hope that I would be remembered as a person who truly loved Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. In the same way as the guy above, I don't want to be remembered by anything that I did, but rather what Jesus did. How he saved me. How He provided for me. How He loved me. How He cared for me. How He took care of me. How He protected me. And did I mention how much He loved me? I want to share that love in everything I do, everything I say, and wherever I go.

That is how I hope to be remembered. As a person who was in love with Jesus and would do anything for Him...even if it meant selling my big fancy house (which I don't have, but sticking with the above story) to move into a smaller one so that I could give more. To quit a fancy, high paying job for a not so high paying job that would allow me to reach out to the poor. That is love. That is sacrifice. That is faith.

This is a prayer I need to pray every single day:

"So let my life be the proof, the proof of your love
Let my love look like You and what You're made of
How You lived, how You died,
Love is sacrifice
So let my life be the proof, the proof of Your love"
-Lyrics from the song "Proof of Your Love" by King and Country.