Personal Effects

I recently attended a conference where I had the blessed opportunity to hear Joyce Meyer speak.  Near the end of her message, she asked the question, "When your time here is through, what will be your personal effects?"

It's a question that resonated within me then and today has come to the forefront of my mind again.  We usually hear the phrase "personal effects" in some way connected with material possessions.  But when the question was asked by Joyce Meyer, she was referring to our spiritual legacy, what we leave behind when we leave this world.

Very early this morning a great man of God exited this world, defeated cancer and walked straight into the arms of his Healer and Savior.  I began to reflect on his "personal effects" and quickly realized that with all that will be said to honor him over the next days, there are no words that will be sufficient to give weight to his legacy.  His "personal effects" will truly only ever be fully measured on the other side of eternity.  His legacy will continue to shape and inspire countless lives.

As I reflect on his life, I can't help but wonder what my "personal effects" will be.  When I pass from this life to the next, what will I have left behind? When I pass from this life to the next, what will God be able to show me the eternal impact of my life has been? Will I hear, "Well done!" when I stand before my God?

God, help me to live my life in such a way that my "personal effects" are not only felt in this life, but resonate in the next.  Help me follow you with such a passion and devotion that human words can never measure the impact that YOU allowed my life to have on this earth.