Sam's Legacy

We lost a dear man from our church this week to a battle with cancer. Sam's battle started about the same time that Paul's mom's did, so it feels like both families have journeyed down this long road together. He was a deacon in our church, and his son is our worship leader.

I never had much opportunity to know Sam well in the two years we have been here. Health challenges between his wife and him kept them from church a lot, and he was diagnosed with cancer after we had only been here about six months. We knew each other enough to exchange pleasantries when we saw each other, and to talk about how he was feeling.

There were many things I did not know about him, though. Like, I didn't know that he used to teach the couples Sunday School class that I am now in. I never heard his testimony, though I heard it was a good one. But many, many people in our church were touched by this man's life. He was a butcher at the local grocery store for all of his working years, so really everyone in this small town of ours knew him on some level.

I do know, however, that he left a legacy. He had a family who adored him. He pointed his children toward Christ. Children in our church prayed to ask Jesus into their hearts with Sam's leading. Our church family has many stories to share of how their lives were enriched by him.

It got me thinking about leaving a legacy. Sometimes that may seem like a grandiose feat. But when you think of this man, this butcher, in this little town, who loved his family and showed them Jesus in his daily living....I am encouraged. I am encouraged that maybe we are all doing better than we think we are. That even our weak moments as parents, spouses, Christians....that our lives matter more than we know. God uses us, in our little towns, in our little churches, with our gifts and abilities that seem small to us. They are not small to God. They are significant and meaningful. There are so many ways to change the world, or at least our little corner of it. Sam did it by carving meat, by loving his family, by loving his church, by loving Jesus. Now that he is gone, passing one day before his birthday, and less than a month after his 50th wedding anniversary, we are encouraged...sad, aching, but encouraged that hopefully we can leave a legacy, too.