After writing a little about legacy a few weeks ago, God has continually brought me back to that same idea through different situations, scriptures, conversations and events. Being down here in Haiti I’ve seen a lot of ministries and relationships that were started last year – some of them have flourished, others have changed dramatically, and some have moved on to something different. Constantly I’m reminded of beginnings, promises, legacies that God began or carried on last year. Much more than that I’m seeing legacies that pastors here have carried for years get passed on to teams and individuals to carry on, either for the time they are here or for much longer. It’s putting parts of myself in new light too.
I started reading a book called Follow me to Freedom by Shane Claiborne and John Perkins. In the first chapter they talk about Romans 10:17 – Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ – and how it’s our responsibility to pass on the word of God, to pass on the promise of life abundant. By remembering what He has done, we know who He is and what He will continue to do. Passing on those promises is a way of remembering, and in remembering we are strengthened, at the same time as we strengthen the body around us. John Perkins puts it like this: (talking about how God’s promise to Abraham to bless the world through him is still being fulfilled)
When God blesses, the blessing is not stagnant: it moves and multiplies. The idea is to plant a seed, then water it and grow it – and then give it to the next generation….That’s the real purpose of ministry. Abraham blessed Isaac. Isaac blessed Jacob. Jacob blessed his 12 sons, which became the tribes of Israel. The blessing followed each person’s faithfulness….
Follow me closely here. This passing on of the promise is the blessing, and the act of passing the blessing along is therefore as important as the promise, because it becomes the fulfillment of the promise. If a blessing is complete or finished, there is nothing to pass along except a memory. A blessing supersedes individual achievement and movements. It goes beyond a particular moment in time or spot on the map. A blessing is like a living organism, not some kind of plaque we hang on a wall or meal we eat at the end of the day. The promise contains hope, but there is always an element of it that goes unfulfilled. Sure, we might make progress and see some of the promise come about, but what we pass along is hope and a vision that can be carried forth, and a little bit more of it will be fulfilled by the next generation, and then the next.
I love that because I’ve always been a project starter. I get it from my dad. I find a new interesting thing to collect, try, or build, and I’ll do it for awhile, but finishing something before the next interest comes along and inevitably takes over is always a challenge. I’ve become a jack of all trades, master of none. Now, there is a large part of that where I just need to work on some self-discipline, I know, but in the last months of thinking about these things, and comparing to how I naturally am, I also recognize that I’ve been built to pass things on and at least part of that project starting tendency comes from the drive to start something someone else can continue. I’ve known part of that gifting in me for awhile, but I don’t think I recognized how big a part of God’s way that is – to carry or start something almost specifically to and pass the vision and promise to others. I’ve felt the blessing of doing that, but am only now seeing that it’s not just something I enjoy, it’s truly a blessing from God to be able to pass on His promises, hopes, and visions. So I’m going to try to articulate just a few of the legacies I’ve been seeing getting passed along down here in my next few blogs. Enjoy!
