“The one good thing this man did in his life was to die.” No preacher anywhere would actually say this at a funeral, and even fewer people would want to be remembered that way. So, what will people remember about us when we are dead? Hopefully, we will leave a positive legacy that endures. What counts as legacy? Is it our job? Our career? Our bank account? Our rushing yards? Fair ribbons? Bowling trophies?
In Acts 9:36-43, we read of a disciple named Tabitha. Her legacy was found in something as simple as clothing. She made clothes for those who needed them. When she died, and Peter went to raise her from the dead, the widows showed Peter the clothing she had made. That was her legacy.
Clothing doesn’t seem like a big deal. We can go to Big R or Walmart. We can even get clothes delivered to our door by ordering online. Clothing can be as expensive or affordable as we care to pay. So why was clothing such a big deal? Clothing was precious. There were no mass production facilities to make textiles. There were no factories to make clothes. Clothes were expensive, and not everybody could afford clothes. Back in the days of the New Testament, the poor wore what they could get. Tabitha’s legacy was the charity she provided for others. One avenue of that charity was making clothing. People loved and remembered her for that. That legacy is recorded and celebrated even to this day, so many centuries later.
Would you have a legacy like Tabitha? Then you need to make clothes. If you can’t sew, what other thing can you do to help others? Jesus came to this world to give His life, and that spirit of giving must live in His people today.
If you are not a Christian, then any legacy will not measure up to the one Jesus wants to give you. Sit down with me over an open Bible, and let’s study the eternal legacy God has in mind for us.
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
