What do you think of when you hear the word legacy? Do tangible references, such as family heirlooms or financial inheritances, come to mind? As we enter Black History Month, a time to honor legacy, you may think about the legacy of ingenuity that led to some of the greatest inventions we enjoy to this day.
As we think about these things, I also want to bring your attention to another legacy. Though it is intangible, it is experienced in very tangible ways. This is a legacy of love that God blesses us with the opportunity to live into daily.
This legacy is brought to light in Jeremiah 31:3, when the Lord says to the children of Israel, “I have loved you with an everlasting love and with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Within this one verse is the fullness of what legacy is and what it means to be included in legacy.
The term itself means the long-lasting impact of particular events or actions that took place in the past (paraphrased). Applying the definition to the legacy of love, we find the long-lasting impact of God’s love; God’s everlasting love for us is always on display. It shows up in tangible ways, that we might consider the little things like the sunshine and the warmth it brings. It also shows up in tangible ways, that we might consider the big things like healing or unexpected blessings.
So, what is the event that informed this legacy of love? The redemptive work of the cross, as well as the restorative nature of the resurrection, which ultimately comes from Jesus saying not my will, but Your will be done (see Matthew 26:42).
God did not just love us one time for that one-time event. The text says God has loved us. While we may automatically think of that in the past tense, this kind of love, being everlasting love, is proof positive that God’s love is continuous. It is a legacy of love that withstands time and circumstance. It is a legacy of love that shows how faithful God is to us, even when our faithfulness to God is waning.
Yet this legacy of love gets even better. Paul tells us in Romans 8:35-39 that there is nothing, absolutely no thing that can separate us from the love of God and that we are more than conquerors because of this love. Therefore, no matter who, what, when, where, why or how, the everlasting love of God is available to us. Talk about a long-lasting impact!
We know and experience how the legacy of love is made evident in our lives.
How can we exemplify this kind of love to others? Is it by way of kindness, lending a helping hand, or being a listening ear? Our efforts do not have to be extravagant, because with God’s love, a little goes a long way, and one act of love can inform a lasting legacy.
Contact Rae Karim at rae.karim@gmail.com.
