Leaving A Legacy
by Shauna Wallace
It was such a pleasure to dress in bright colors for the home-going celebration for sweet Libby Stone. It’s what she would have wanted, and it was not a sad affair! Yes, the void she leaves is sad, but not the legacy. Not the piece of her that was really just a piece of Jesus that she left with every person she came into contact. Literally.
Libby was the most precious 80+-year-old woman in my Sunday school. I didn’t know her long, maybe eighteen months, but she impacted me for a lifetime.
You see, Libby’s mind had been slipping for years, but no matter how foggy her mind or how far it slipped at a given time or moment, she never forgot Jesus. She never failed to proclaim His love for others. He was always crystal clear to her, and she was always crystal clear about Him.
I will never forget the first…
…or every subsequent time she would cup her hands around my face or grip the breadth of my fingers, look me straight in the eyes as if we were the only two people on the face earth and say:
Do you know how much Jesus loves you? He really does!
Or she would declare:
God can do anything!
God has something so special for you. He does. I can see it!
What I learned at her home-going celebration is she didn’t just do this with me; she did it with everyone she encountered, and one never left an encounter with Libby doubting Jesus’ or her love.
I also found out through her grandchildren’s laughter and tears:
She always had a word of God’s truth and encouragement for them and everyone;
She always had food ready;
She always read God’s word to her grandchildren, even as teens;
She always had fun;
She always encouraged enjoyment; and,
She always believed.
Right through the fog of dementia, she believed. It makes me wonder just how convinced she must have been of God’s goodness and love that even dementia couldn’t distort God’s truth.
Am I that convinced? Lord, let it be so!
I want to live a Libby legacy. She modeled what it looks to live and die for Christ. I hope my kids and grandkids remember me as an example of Jesus Christ.
And I hope I live with Peggy faithfulness. That’s her daughter, who tirelessly honored, cared for and served Libby with love, patience, and dignity.
What an example. What a celebration.
And like Libby, I want to be buried in bright colors and gold shoes. And it’s what I want you to wear to my home-going celebration, whenever that might be. No tears allowed, just joy and laughter because, like Libby and Penny, I want it to be said of me:
Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
Much love and many blessings,
Shauna
Author, speaker, and blogger Shauna Wallace openly shares the reality of God and the power of His word through the lens of her life story. Past and present, she tells of God’s faithfulness to deliver her from bulimia, addiction, anger and perfectionism and miraculously save her marriage, blend her family and transform her life. Her driving passion is for herself and others to love Jesus more, draw nearer, go deeper, live freer and believe bigger, learning to exclusively trust Him in the ups, downs, surprises and uncertainties of this thing called everyday life.
Women of all ages and seasons of life find Shauna’s transparent, conversational approach to scripture’s life truths relatable, personally challenging and applicable. Daily seeking Jesus as her anchor and source for significance, strength, and joy, she lives in happy, organized chaos as she juggles a husband, one homeschooled teen, a college kid, three young adult and married children, a family-owned custom home business and her own study and writing. Follow her blog and check out her other books at www.shaunawallace.com .
