LEGACY

We all hope to make a difference...make our lives count...find purpose...leave a legacy! We all want to be remembered for something.

I once said to a friend, "If I die today, the only legacy I would leave behind is my blog." I haven't started an organisation or a business...yet, I am not married, I don't have children, I don't have a successful career to speak of, the only thing I can call my own is my blog...my words...oh...and a few clothing items, if that counts. Before then, I had never given much thought to the idea that this is what I would be leaving behind. So, I went back and read my previous posts and all I could think of was, "Girl, why are you so mad?"

If you have read my previous posts, you know that I am big on social justice. My heart breaks for those who are marginalised and discriminated against. And so, I write about it, it's the least I can do.

I know...I'm a hero.

Newsflash...I'm not.

I got tired. Not that I ever saw caring for people and fighting for them as a burden, but I got tired. Tired of being angry, tired of getting frustrated when no action is taken, tired of carrying the weight of issues I knew I couldn't single-handedly solve. Have you ever found yourself making statements like; If only I were in a position of power, I would make corruption disappear, I would make sure that all children were protected, I would put an end to gender-based violence, I would completely eradicate poverty...If only...But that's all there is to it...a wish. The intentions are good, and our hearts are in the right place, but there is only so much you and I can do.

This is not me throwing in the towel, I will continue to use my voice to speak for the voiceless, and I will keep fighting even when it seems like victory is beyond reach. The difference is, that now I fight with revelation. I know how this story ends. It won't end with revolutionary leaders coming into power. We have had many of those, and they had a lot of impacts, but injustice remains a reality. Icons like Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Wangari Maathai... they fought...and they fought hard, and they did make a difference. However, all the injustices they fought against, racial discrimination, poverty, abuse of power, and environmental degradation, still exist. I am not trying to discredit any of these people, I would not dare. How I wish I could be half the woman that Wangari Maathai was. What I am saying is, that despite devoting their lives to these noble courses, none found a permanent solution to the brokenness of this world. They moved the world a step in the right direction, but none actually got us home. We often talk of continuing their legacies. That is because the work is yet to be finished. There will always be work to be done, and sacrifices to be made.

Just to make sure, we are on the same page, let me make a disclaimer. I am not encouraging apathy. Apathy is a lack of interest. In our time, this is what it looks like, "Just minding my business" "You live your truth, I'll live mine" "It is what it is" "si ni life". We have become too self-absorbed to care about anyone other than ourselves. We all have a part to play in making this world a better place. Not all of us are going to be on the frontline spearheading some major revolutions but we all have a place. We are all called to love and show kindness to everyone. Love will not let us sit and watch while another is treated unjustly in the name of, "minding your business".

This is not a conversation about letting things slide. This is a conversation about fighting the good fight. Fighting in wisdom and truth. Wisdom is recognising that we have a role to play but we are in the middle of a story. A story with a beginning and an end. That doesn't mean our role is insignificant, far from it. However, the story is not about us. It is not about me. It is not about you. It is about He who is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the author and perfector. That's right...He makes all things perfect! He reigned supreme in the beginning, he reigns supreme now, and he will reign, not just to the end of the age but forever! This is about Him restoring what we have broken.

There is one man who did finish the work. He made the ultimate sacrifice. It wasn't in the grandest way possible, in fact, it wasn't grand at all. Nailed to a tree, beaten and bloodied with a crown of thorns on his head, he declared, "IT IS FINISHED!" On Calvary that day, all the chains that held me captive were broken. He conquered sin and death completely! He is alive today because death could not hold him. No other man, however powerful has been able to overcome death, and so if you ask me, Jesus is the hero we all long for. He is the solution we all seek. Only he holds the answer to the brokenness and injustice of this world. So how can we find justice unless we seek him? How can run the race he shows us THE WAY. Why do I have to create and live my truth when I can look to him who is THE TRUTH? How can we overcome darkness unless we find THE LIGHT?

This story ends when Jesus returns. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord! It will longer be a question of whether He exists or not, nor will it be about which religion is more superior to the other...It will be about Him who is enthroned on high, lifted above every other name. He will make things right once and for all. There will be no more pain and suffering, no injustice! How I look forward to that day. This hope is what gets me through life. When I look at all the darkness in the world, even in my own life and start to despair, I am reminded of this truth, that a day is coming when all will be made right. Therefore, my strength is renewed, and I can keep fighting because I have something to look forward to. Do you? Good news is...this hope is offered freely to everyone regardless of who you are or the circumstances you find yourself in.

Jesus helps me make sense of everything, my life, the world...everything! Without Jesus in the equation, nothing adds up! I didn't even know myself until I knew Him. I found myself in Him. When my heart breaks for injustice, I know His breaks first. When I feel compassion towards someone, I know it is because He has shown me so much of it already. In the past, I have tried to keep my faith out of my writing, it is exhausting. Jesus is the reason I exist, there is no me without him. If I leave behind any legacy, I want it to be that I glorified Jesus. A singer once said,

And I, I don't want to leave a legacy

I don't care if they remember me

Only Jesus

And I, I've only got one life to live

I'll let every second point to Him

Only Jesus

So walk this journey with me, as I share not only my thoughts but most importantly, my faith. Frankly speaking, I can't separate the two.

Until next time, I'm yours truly,

The JESUS Girl.