With the clock ticking down towards what we hope and pray will be the birth day of the latest Scott baby, you start thinking about what the baby will be. What will he look like? What will he sound like? (I think we all know what he will smell like.) Will he grow to be tall? Thin? Strong? Intelligent? This isn’t different from any of our biological kids. Those same questions bang around in your head, even after you meet them. What will this one become?
Kara has claimed that she will be a veterinarian since she dressed up as such for Halloween at age 5, I believe. That still makes sense, since (you see what I did there with homonyms?) the girl loves her some animals. Granted, there are a few (cats, rabbits) that make her sniffle and sneeze, but she wallows around with them anyway. Plus, she has her mama’s smarts, so navigating the academic side of that shouldn’t be a problem.
Gabe is still trying to decide between professional basketball player or professional baseball player. It’s a tough choice. And JP also tries to choose between Captain America, Spider-Man, and Superman. Only time will tell.
More importantly than what we will be when we grow up is what will we be when those that come after us think back and remember what we really were, and what we were like? What kind of legacy will we leave? Before you offer condolences and prayers for my terminal illness, I’m not there. But, should we wait until we are octogenarians before we start to become concerned with something like that?
Allow me to compare something for a moment. The other night, we sat and watched a little documentary on the Manning family. You know, Archie, Peyton, Eli, and lesser known Cooper and Olivia. Very interesting. Saw some things I didn’t know about them, inevitably. (While I do root for UT over other college teams, I do not plan events around the 3rd Saturday in October, nor have I named any children Peyton, Fulmer, Peerless, or Major (Johnny Majors)). Included in the new information was the fact that Archie’s father took his own life, while Archie was playing quarterback for Ole Miss no less. That tidbit kept coming up throughout the show, including towards the end where Archie made a statement about his own legacy. He said that he wanted his sons to look back and think that he was a “good guy.”
Now, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. I can think of plenty of folks off the top of my head that I wish aspired to just that. But let me compare that for a moment. Back in the summer, a Facebook friend of mine lost her father. During one FB post, she made the following statement:
“My father was a believing man with great faith and determination. While today is a very sad day for our family it is also joyous. His pain is gone. It is the best day of his life because he was a follower of Christ and is at home in heaven with Him.”
Not only does she make a statement about the assurance of his home beyond this world, but about the life he led here on Earth. I’m sure that he, too, was a “good guy.” But that’s not the goal of our existence, is it? How many good guys are there that the moment their life ended wondered what went wrong when they found themselves immediately in a place of eternal torment?
I will say this, I don’t know what my children and grandchildren, 60 years from now when I am most likely to be gone from this earth, will say about me. But, I know what I want them to say. I want them to say what a man of God that I was. That I always did not only the right thing, but the thing that glorified Christ and furthered His kingdom. I shamefully admit that they cannot always testify to that. But, I am determined to continue to strive to be that type of believer.
In adoption world, we wait. Patiently, but anxiously at the same time. Legalities are being worked out thanks to great people that understand way more than I do about such things. And, Jennifer returns to the doctor sometime Tuesday, we think. Hopefully, they will straighten out some of the confusion about possible dates of the baby’s arrival. But, I was challenged in this morning’s sermon to wait upon the Lord. Waiting not only takes trust, but it builds trust in the Lord. Oh, how much of a true statement that has become in my life over the past several months. To completely lean on the Lord has been so challenging to what my faith had become – one that I allowed to exist only when I had control of everything else.
So my choice is to wait – to be strong, to be courageous – and to wait. His timing is perfect, His timing is perfect. And, I pray that am living a life that is pleasing in His eyes – and leaving that as my legacy.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and courageous. Wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14
Scottish Invasion 