Assembly of God
By Sheryl Franco
Co-pastor
The pastor’s wife is a peculiar role. I was never one who said, “I want to be a pastor’s wife when I grow up.” And I didn’t take the common path of going to Bible school, meeting my future husband and obtaining my “mrs.” degree. I was taking some piano lessons from my youth pastor’s wife. At the end of my lesson one day, she said, “Someday, you’ll make a great pastor’s wife.” It was not a great pronouncement of anointing. She tossed it out casually and matter-of-factly. But it was as shocking to my spirit as if she had smacked me with a 10-pound Bible. In the moment, my 14-year-old spirit was not receptive. The response inside my head was, “No. I. Won’t.” On an average Wednesday afternoon, in the course of a normal activity, with seven words, Gloria Van Steenis planted a legacy of direction and calling in a young woman’s life.
Who did that for you? What words were spoken that changed the trajectory of your life? Was it a coach, teacher, relative or boss? Legacy is not strictly defined by the possessions or wealth we pass along to the next generation. Legacy can occur when we inspire someone to be everything God has intended them to be by our words or our own example.
Isaiah 38:19 says, “Only the living can praise you as I do today. Each generation tells of your faithfulness to the next.” Psalm 78:4 reads, “We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his might wonders.”
How are you passing on your legacy? What words are heard, what actions are observed, by those you might not know are watching? Words don’t come easy for everyone. Sometimes actions are more powerful than words. Christ-followers are responsible for leaving a legacy of faith to those within our influence.
We pass on our legacy by example when we remain faithful to God through the trials we encounter. When disease strikes us or our loved ones, we remain faithful. When we lose our source of income or security, we remain faithful. When our friends desert us, we remain faithful. When we are blind-sided by situations we never thought could happen, we remain faithful. Does this mean we ignore the problems and the pain and skip merrily along, blissfully repeating Christian-ese clichés? Absolutely not. We need to be honest and transparent. Other people are counting on us to acknowledge the struggle. But the way we live through the hard times brings God glory and raises the hopes of future generations.
I might be going down with the ship, almost consumed by crashing waves. But with the one free hand I have that isn’t clinging to the mast, I’ll reach out for God’s hand to rescue me. Because I know he can, and I know he has in the past. Because I know hewill. Imaybedrenched, exhausted and sick from fighting to survive, but when God has come to my rescue, when I tell my story, I will leave a legacy of victory, faith and hope.
Pastor Chuck will be leading a 2-week study on legacy on March 7 and 14.
Join Assembly of God in the Amphitheater at 11 a.m. on Sundays.
