A Decade of Service

10 years.

Crikey.

I told Patty Collins once that I wanted to make it to 10 years at OMS because then, when I die, I will make it into the Outreach In Memoriam section.

She told me I needed a better reason to stay.

Which, yeah, okay, that's probably true. And there's the whole "God called me here and won't let me leave" angle that we can talk about ad nauseum.

Ahem.

Anyway, the whole Outreach thing got me thinking - what exactly is going to end up in those 3-4 sentences?

It feels very "old white male politician" to be talking about my legacy. But that's where I find myself.

There's a temptation to talk about "the work." And the work is important. I've been in 3 distinct departments since I joined OMS in 2010. There have been aspects of each I've enjoyed. And there have been aspects of each that have been challenging. I'm a behind-the-scenes person. I like it that way. And while I've learned never to say never around here, it's unlikely that I'll ever be a front-line missionary. But the work I do supports people on the front lines. You can't fight a world war without your factories churning out B-52s and M16s.

But I don't want it to be all about the work. That reduces a life down to a series of metrics, and while useful for statistical purposes, they don't really tell you anything about a person. And as we all know, I'm all about the individual.

So I asked around. And as it turns out, people had some pretty nice things to say about me.

"You have a true passion for Christ that won't be swayed by uncomfortable topics and issues that might shake others."

"I am your #1 fan." (That might have been my sister.)

"You have always been obnoxious." (That might have been my other sister.)

"I am very proud of your work at OMS and your commitment to the Christian faith."

"She came, she served, she made a difference."

"You have allowed yourself to learn lessons that God is teaching you, even if you didn't really want to be taught."

And my favorite: "Lover of history, lover of swords, and most importantly lover of Jesus."

That sword thing came up a lot, oddly enough.

One definition of 'legacy' is a gift that is handed down from generation to generation. And I think I want my gift to be Jesus. There's a song by Casting Crowns that spells it out really well. 

All the kingdoms built, all the trophies won

Will crumble into dust when it's said and done

'Cause all that really mattered (is)
Did I live the truth to the ones I love?

Was my life the proof that there is only One

Whose name will last forever?

I don't want to leave a legacy.

I don't care if they remember me.

Only Jesus.

I've only got one life to live.

I'll let every second point to Him.

Only Jesus.

Let's face it. The idea of a legacy is getting some serious facetime in the news these days. Statues are being torn down, some of people who probably shouldn't have been immortalized, some of people who lived lives worthy of remembrance. All of them did good and bad things. But what counts is their legacy. Did they do something worthy of being emulated?

Here's what I want people to remember about me: She loved Jesus, and she encouraged others to do the same.

So what's next? Another 10 years? I have no idea. I didn't think I'd last this long in the first place, so I couldn't begin to speculate. I promised a long time ago (as referenced above) that I'd be here as long as God wanted me to be here. And if he needs me elsewhere, that's where I'll be.

Wherever the journey leads, I hope you'll be right there with me. I appreciate all of you (silent though many of you are), and I thank God that he has provided such excellent companions along the way. 

Here's to the next stretch...