MAKING AN ETERNAL IMPACT

My grandmother died when I was in the 6th grade and my lonely grandfather married a fine woman and mate a few years later.  She loved her new family and was very glad to be a part of it.  She tried to capture every moment of it on film – slides to be exact.  She took pictures of every one and everything and kept them neatly organized in dozens of trays in special cabinets she purchased just for that purpose.  When she died her slide collection passed on to me, for I, too, loved recording family events on film and had started my own extensive slide collection.

Now we use her cabinets as our food pantry.  The slide trays have been given away because we didn’t have room to store them.  I kept the best of her slides but disposed of the rest.  Now, as we are cleaning out our home and cutting back in anticipation of downsizing, I am going through her remaining slides, along with mine, and scanning those worth keeping so we have them on our computer for future family use.  That is if anyone wants to see them.  And even if they do, other than the name on the folder, what will they know about the person?  I am the last one alive who even remembers her, and that will pass with me.  She who was once so alive and vibrant, full of life and seeming going to live forever, now is gone and nearly so her memory.  Even if her precious slides are viewed by someone, they won’t be more than images of an unknown person living in an unknown time. I can preserve and pass on some of her pictures, but that is empty.

What else I do preserve and hopefully pass on is her love of her family, he dedication to those around her, her devotion to her new grandchildren, and her pride in her family.  Her total love and acceptance of me at a time in life when I needed it helped form me into the person I am today, and better enabled me to pass on some of those things to my children and grandchildren.  So even if future generations should stumble across the pictures I am so carefully organizing and saving, and even if the images on them mean nothing to them, the love of God for family and others that has been passed on to me will live in them.  Life is short.  The things we do so temporary.  But what we do for Him that impacts the lives of those around us endures forever.  This motivates me to use the opportunities God gives me in India, with the World View Teens and the families and individuals I counsel and teach.  I thank Him for it!

Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” 

Titus 2:7  In everything set them an example by doing what is good.

Are you leaving a godly heritage for those following you?  Or does most of your time and effort go into accumulating things that will soon be gone? Are you building eternal truths and values into those around you, things that will last for generation after generation?  What can you do to improve your long-term legacy to those who will follow you?

NEWS:  Pastor Moses will be here with me in Pennsylvania Sept 2-8, then in Tulsa for another 10 days.  If you would like to see him at either of those places, or if he can present our work to your church or group, please let me know (jerry@schmoyer.net).

PRAYER REQUESTS:Please pray for the plans being made for Pastor Moses’ trip here in September, and our trip to India in January 2016 as we begin plans for that as well  Pray that during Pastor Moses’ trip here we will be able to increase our prayer and financial base for our India ministry.  Pray for those translating the “Bible Overview” book as it nears completion.

C t O Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
| ChristianTrainingOnline.org
(India Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View) Copyright ©1995-2024

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