Because of several factors, I have been drawn to the idea
of what legacy of life and faith each of us will leave behind. Perhaps turning
62 does that! Perhaps losing one’s mother does that! Perhaps giving the eulogy
for 3 funerals in less than two months does that! Perhaps focusing on Christ’s resurrection as
the hope of our destiny does that! Whatever may be all of the factors, I just
cannot get it out of my mind, and thus it drives my thoughts today that I want
to share with you.
I came across an old hymn that has
the following words:
“I would like to think when I’m nearer life’s brink
That
I’ve written some song that will live
And, living, impart some help to some heart
And
strength to the traveler give.”
[A Song! A
Beautiful Song! Written and composed by L. O. Sanderson, Copyright, 1948]
I want to daily be aware
of how close I am to my own death. We
are adept at keeping death at bay. However, when funerals pile up on one
another, and our peers begin to go the way of all the earth, we can no longer
ignore the inevitable. There are two basic ways of viewing death. It can be a
loss or a gain. If we have left God’s will out of the center of our life, and
we have made choices over the years that have brought regret and heartache,
then death would be viewed as a loss. However, if we loved God with all of our
heart, mind, soul and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves, then death can
be viewed as a gain.
Men and women of faith understand that
Christ’s resurrection and the hope of their own resurrection takes the sting
out of death. Death is personal. It is not abstract. It will be the separation
of myself from this world and the ones I love. This looming separation on the
horizon informs my daily priorities. Sometimes we go through circumstances
where we think we have been close to death.
I remember riding in a small Cherokee
Piper airplane that had experienced some engine trouble. When we landed at the
airport, the pilot reached down and touched the ground, and exclaimed, “We
cheated death once again!” I hate to say it, but we will never cheat death. It
is coming, and we need to have a healthy view of life that is lived in
preparation of that certain coming.
I want to strive to
leave the verses of my own song writ large on the hearts of others. This is a poetic way of saying that my
life’s purpose was the joy of my heart. Each day lived for God and others
provides me the “stuff” for writing each verse of that song. I love to write poetry, and this composer’s
imagery of writing a song touches my heart’s chords. They vibrate with
possibilities and bring together the joys of living life to its fullest. The
impact I make on the hearts of others will be because my heart build a caring
bridge to their heart. Music and song are most appreciated when they touch us
at the deepest level of our being and psyche.
I remember (this dates me, of course!) John
Denver’s famous song “Sunshine on My Shoulders.” The first time I heard that
song was write after a cold winter, and I was driving down to Memphis through
the back roads, going through Brownsville, Tennessee. On that early spring
morning, the sun was on my left shoulder as I was headed south. I sang that
song out loud to my eight track, envisioning the sunshine being God’s love. I
vowed at that moment onward that I would try to bring a little of God’s
“Son-shine” into the lives of others.
I want to strive to give
strength and encouragement to others.
Consequently, that inner vow has allowed the Spirit of God to help me give
others strength and encouragement during tough times. My calling is to impart
to others what God has vouchsafed to me. Because I have undergone three
specific trials in my life that have called for the greatest resilience of
faith in order to endure, I can offer that same solace and comfort that I
received from God to others. Grave personal illness, suicide in the family, and
job loss have carved caverns of sorrow in my heart where the rivers of joy
could later flow.
Perhaps it is the depth of pain that
provides the pathways for joy. Knowing how I survived and was supported by God
and others, I intentionally turn around and offer that same support. I stood
beside my mother’s bed and watched her decline and pass with a grave illness.
Adult children need to know to whom they can turn when those type of losses
occur. These kind of verses in one’s song contain both joy and sorrow. To
demonstrate care with words of encouragement allows our words to create anew
and offer new possibilities for excruciating pain.
I want to leave a path
for others to follow after I am gone. I
watched a fascinating episode of “Prospectors” on the Weather Channel the other
night. One individual mining a claim up in the mountains was following an 8
mile path that wound up to the summit that was created by his grandfather. That
one lane path took two and a half years to create with one bulldozer and one
operator. The grandson kept singing the praises of his grandfather, and lauding
the monumental task that was unthinkable. He kept the road maintained every
year, not only in honor of his grandfather, but also because he needed the road
to travel to the summit with his mining equipment.
What
kind of path are we leaving for others to follow? The wise man Solomon once
said, “Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof
leads others astray”(Proverbs
10:17). We never want to be guilty of leading others astray. Not only do we
model for others how to receive and heed instruction, but also provide the
direction of life that leads others in the right direction.
Nearly twenty years ago I built my own mountain dulcimer.
I have written poetry and have had some of it set to music. I understand the
process and value of writing and composing songs. I would like to think that I
have written some song that will linger with its notes of joy in the hearts of
others long after I am gone!
In Christian love, Curtis
