Galatians 6:9 (New International Version)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper
time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Edwin Hubbel Chapin once said, "Every action of our
lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity." That is the
definition of a legacy. Wouldn't you love to do something that might strike a
beautiful chord that will "vibrate in eternity"?
I've discovered something about legacies…generous people
leave great legacies. I read about a couple in Canada who stopped to help a
motorist who had run out of gasoline. It was a regular occurrence in their part
of rural Canada. After they got him on his way, they bought a new fuel can,
scratched their initials on it, filled it with petrol and stored it in the
trunk of their car.
A few months later they again stopped to assist a
stranded motorist. But this time they GAVE him their gas can and told him to fill
it up, keep it with him and pass it along to the next motorist he sees who has
run out of fuel.
Though they never expected to see their can again, in a
couple of years they spotted it being passed along to a grateful motorist on
the road. They recognized it several more times over the years, and each time
they asked its owner where it had come from. They ascertained that the can had
traveled across the continent at least two times!
They never intended to leave a legacy. When they bought
the fuel can they never dreamed that their action might strike chords that
could vibrate in eternity. But that container may still be traveling around the
country!
And it might not seem like a big thing, but many
motorists have been saved by the generosity of complete strangers who stop to
help. Then each in turn has taken the container, refilled it, and diligently
looked, perhaps for days or weeks, for an opportunity to pass it along. Good
will generated by a humble can of fuel has no doubt been multiplied many times in
countless ways, striking beautiful chords that vibrate forever.
It's true - generous people leave great legacies. Even
that small piece of yourself you generously give away may thrive in surprising
ways throughout eternity.
Dear Lord we pray that we would be open to do the little
things that we can do to bless others. Help our eyes be open to the opportunities
that You give each of us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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