It’s Called Legacy!
Beloved, joyful are people of integrity who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths. You O’ God have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with Your commands. As I learn Your righteous regulations, I will thank You by living as I should! I will obey Your decree. Please don’t give up on me! (Psalms 119:1-8 NLT) Honor is the one thing that, if you get it – it will work in all areas of your life. (Psalms 119:5) I got the revelation of honor many years ago. I honor the people God has placed in my life.
I always honored my Father and Mother when they were living. My parents lived in another state, and I would travel to see them several times a year. My Mother’s Love Language was gifts and acts of kindness. Watching her open a beautifully wrapped present was such a joy! Every time I went to see them, I would take them gifts, and if they needed something done at their home, I would do it to express my love for them. I didn’t just celebrate them on birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas; it was a celebration every time I went to see them.
I was kind, loving, and respectful of them always regardless of situations – and trust me, there were opportunities, but I chose to do what the Word of God instructed me to do and walk in love. We are not to treat others the way they treat us, but we are to treat them the way we desire to be treated. (Matthew 7:12) It’s called the Golden Rule! I applied my core values in business as well as personal, and God blessed me for that. I knew to keep my mouth shut. If I needed to discuss anything, I waited for the right timing and did it in love.
Am I perfect? No! No again! But I learned that you could either obey the Word and walk in the glory and God’s blessings or suffer the consequences. I am not sharing this to toot my own horn. I am sharing it to ask you, who and what do you honor? It’s who I am, I hear in my spirit someone saying, but I can’t afford to do that. I live on a meager, frugal budget. I watch for sales and stock up on gifts to bless others. When I have a guest in my home, I love to have a gift waiting for them upon their arrival. It’s a priority! Why? I desire to make everyone feel loved and special; that’s what Jesus did! I am transparent with you to ask you, who and what do you honor?
My Mother entered glory in 2013, I loved her with all my heart, and I have many beautiful memories I intentionally made with her regularly. I have no regrets. They are called precious memories because you can look back on those times with joy when they no longer live. Never have I been one who looked for a Spiritual Mother or Spiritual Father, but when you live out the Word of God, He will bless you with things you haven’t asked! He knows what you need before you ask. (Matthew 6:8) God is so good and gracious in His love for us. (Ephesians 2:4-5, 1 John 4:9-11,16)
The year before my Mother died, God brought a woman in my life in another state – while visiting one night, the Holy Spirit spoke to me audibly and said, ‘she is your Spiritual Mother!’ Then He said, ‘go upstairs to your bedroom, write a check for $1000.00 and come back – kneel at her feet in honor and ask her to be your Spiritual Mother!’ I didn’t have $1000.00. I said, ‘Okay, Lord, I will tomorrow. We visited till two o’clock a.m., and at one o’clock a.m., the Holy Spirit said, ‘it’s tomorrow! I got up and went to my bedroom, and came back down with a check and honored God. I asked her to be my Spiritual Mother, not knowing that my Mother was about to go dance on the streets of gold. By the time I got home, I had the $1000.00 to cover the check.
I honor my spiritual Dad and Mom every birthday, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas, in the same manner, I honored my parents. Celebrating the gift they are in my life, expressing my love, gratitude, and appreciation, not expecting anything in return, is a way of life. The Bible says we are to respect our Father and Mother; it means we respect and honor them even if they are not all jacked up! Regardless of what they do, we must respect them. (Leviticus 19:3) We are to honor our father and Mother (which is the first commandment with a promise from God) that it may go well with you and live a long life on the earth! (Deuteronomy 20:10, Ephesians 6:2) Let me repeat this. When we honor our Father and Mother, ‘it will go well with us, and we will live a long life!’ Does that mean when we do not honor our Father and Mother, things will not be good with us and live a short life? Yes! There are always consequences for not obeying God’s Word.
That’s not all; those of you who know my testimony, you know how much I loved my parents, but my Dad and I had a spiritual bond. After my Mother’s death, I would travel and minister and take off every four weeks for two weeks to be a caregiver for my Dad. He was confined to a wheelchair for the last eight years of his life. We made some beautiful memories together; one, in particular, was cooking together and grocery shopping. We would laugh, talk, and have a great time. He was a wise man with few words; he was a redhead but mellowed later. I never heard him speak an ill word of anyone.
A year before my Dad joined my Mother in Heaven, I was visiting with my spiritual Mother and had a divine encounter with God that led to having a real Spiritual Dad, and I wasn’t looking for one. There is a difference between a father and a dad. Upon this visit, I noticed her husband every time I would visit; he was always trying to take care of me and genuinely interested in what was going on with me. Full of the Word of God, a teacher of the Word, and He is probably the wisest man I have known personally. One evening he said, ‘Judy, I want to make breakfast for you in the morning.’ I said, ‘Pastor George, thank you, but I don’t eat breakfast.’ In a scolding manner, the Holy Spirit said, ‘you get up and let him cook breakfast for you!’ So, I told Pastor George I would be delighted to have breakfast with him. I got up and went down for breakfast. He made me scrambled eggs and toast. While I was eating, I heard the Holy Spirit say, ‘this is your Spiritual Dad!’ Ask him if he will be your Spiritual Dad. I was astonished. Jehovah Sneak-a-roo snuck up on me again and surprised me! Toward the end of the meal, I asked him if I could talk to him in the other room for a moment. He said, ‘yeah!’ Please understand, he has the most beautiful, compassionate, loving heart. I told him what the Holy Spirit told me, and I asked him if he would be my Spiritual Dad. With tears in his eyes, he said, ‘well, yes!’ Daddy George said, ‘now you have a Momma and a Daddy!
Shortly after, my Dad joined my Mother in heaven. God has been so gracious to me to place this man and woman of God in my life. The legacy lives on! God has blessed my life with many Spiritual Sons and Daughters. I am accountable to my Spiritual Dad and Mom – I sow into their life, and they sow into my life with the love of Christ. A relationship is not a relationship; if you are doing all the giving, it’s successful when the law of sowing and reaping is operative. Everyone needs a mentor, a coach, a Spiritual Dad, and Mom! Who are you accountable to? Do you honor the gift they are in your life? It’s called legacy. Are you establishing and leaving a legacy?
