Today marks the one year anniversary of the death of my precious Granny. She went home a few minutes after 12pm last year, just one day shy of her 95th birthday. I’ve lived every one of the 365 days since then missing her profoundly, but yet rejoicing greatly that she is exactly where she longed to be – in heaven! I’ve also lived every one of the 365 days since she’s been gone trying to remember every lesson she taught me.
The idea behind this post began with a simple question as to why it was that people ever blogged (specifically Christ-centered blogs) in the first place. Among other motives, my mind eventually settled on the central reason behind blogs being a desire to see God in every aspect of life. We all know this to be possible. Just as good ol’ George Strait tells us…
Seeing isn’t enough though. God uses everyday happenings to speak to us as well. But as George points out, it takes effort on our part to be able to recognize when the Holy Spirit is attempting to reach us.
So with my newfound knowledge/opinion on the purpose of blogging, I set out to try for myself.
It just so happened I was in the great state of Colorado with some friends when my initial blogging curiosity arose. Which can only mean I had one and only one thing on my mind…skiing. The quickest way I know to express my love for skiing is through my cold-toleration transformation.
Normal Logan – Has to sleep with a hoodie beside my bed so I can actually make it from my comforter all the way to the hot shower.
My first jump on the day was inevitably followed by my first wipeout. Big surprise. So as I’m dumping snow out of my glove on the ski lift, it dawns on me… The same actions that cause us wipeout while skiing cause us to crash and burn in sin.
Crossing Your Tips: It’s usually lesson numero uno for beginners, but it still happens to experienced skiers. Same thing as believers. I can’t have one part of my life facing toward the Lord and another facing my own earthly desires. I must keep everything pointing toward God and His will in order to avoid wiping out in sin.
And, in all my remembering, I’ve come to what I think is a profound conclusion.
I am certain that life is NOT about LEAVING a legacy.
I feel pretty safe in asserting this firmly because I’ve checked the Good Book (at least the NIV, KJV, NKJV, and the NLT), and the word “legacy” doesn’t appear even once. Nope. Not there.
But what IS there is good solid instruction on LIVING a legacy – living a life that matters, a life that makes a difference, a life that positively impacts others, a life that serves and gives and loves. That’s exactly what my Granny did. She lived the very legacy that Christ left for us to live.
So, as I venture into the days ahead, I’m intentionally moving from missing and trying to remember my Granny to LIVING the legacy.
And, it just so happens, on this very same day of focusing on LIVING the legacy, my oldest son, Logan, is taking over the pen for the remainder of this blog post with some words that are beyond wise coming from his tender 22 years of age. I can’t even begin to tell you how very full my heart is at this very moment. There is simply nothing like watching your kids grow up and knowing … KNOWING! … that they love God with all their heart. It is the answer to every prayer this momma has prayed for her boys. Logan, there are no words big enough.
And now, here’s Logan:
There is only one right way to begin this blog posting, and that is with a warning. A warning that I possess neither the superb writing ability nor the great insight of my mother. That being said, I felt led to try this whole blogging thing out, so bear with me as I give it a whirl.
The idea behind this post began with a simple question as to why it was that people ever blogged (specifically Christ-centered blogs) in the first place. Among other motives, my mind eventually settled on the central reason behind blogs being a desire to see God in every aspect of life. We all know this to be possible. Just as good ol’ George Strait tells us…
I’ve been to Church.
I’ve read the Book.
I know He’s here,
But I don’t look.
Seeing isn’t enough though. God uses everyday happenings to speak to us as well. But as George points out, it takes effort on our part to be able to recognize when the Holy Spirit is attempting to reach us.
After all that being said, I can now begin my actual post.
So with my newfound knowledge/opinion on the purpose of blogging, I set out to try for myself.
It just so happened I was in the great state of Colorado with some friends when my initial blogging curiosity arose. Which can only mean I had one and only one thing on my mind…skiing. The quickest way I know to express my love for skiing is through my cold-toleration transformation.
Normal Logan – Has to sleep with a hoodie beside my bed so I can actually make it from my comforter all the way to the hot shower.
Skiiing Logan – Can easily outlast my dad and brother (who are both more bear than human when it comes to withstanding the cold) on the slopes.
Anywho, suffice it to say, if God was going to speak to me on Colorado trip, it was going to be through skiing. And so He did.
My first jump on the day was inevitably followed by my first wipeout. Big surprise. So as I’m dumping snow out of my glove on the ski lift, it dawns on me… The same actions that cause us wipeout while skiing cause us to crash and burn in sin.
Crossing Your Tips: It’s usually lesson numero uno for beginners, but it still happens to experienced skiers. Same thing as believers. I can’t have one part of my life facing toward the Lord and another facing my own earthly desires. I must keep everything pointing toward God and His will in order to avoid wiping out in sin.
Overconfidence: Sometimes as a believer, I underestimate the devil and overestimate my ability to withstand his attacks. As a skier, I’ve been known to take off through the trees or fly down the mountain as fast I can. These moments almost always lead to a faceful of snow. The key is humility though. Just like skiing within my limits keeps me from wiping out, approaching everyday humbly in regards to how weak I am without Christ helps me not to fall into sin.
Living Life on the Edge: All it takes a little too much lean, and I am once again laying in the snow wondering just how far uphill my skis are. Such is the struggle against sin too. Life gets busy and all of the sudden I begin compromising on how much time I spend in the Word or in prayer. This continues for some time till I randomly have one of those days that flat-out kicks my butt. Then I wonder why I find myself struggling to lean on the Lord? It’s all because I started leaning away from Him weeks ago and never stopped to correct myself.
Distractions: One word…snowboarders. Now I can’t claim to be a purist skier, because I have tried snowboarding myself. But any true skier knows the stereotype of the unaware punk snowboarder, also known as a major distraction. For those of you who spend time on the bunny slopes, little kids are your version of the wipeout-causing distractions. I can’t count the number of times I ended up rolling through the snow, because I was focusing on too many distractions. And we all know how this carries over in our walk with Christ. Work, hobbies, tv, and even friends can all serve as tools of distraction that take our focus away from what should always be our top priority.
Thanks for the above blessing! Trae you have every reason to be proud of such an awesome young man. Logan you are truly blessed to have such an awesome mother!
Libby Hamilton
Thank you, Libby. I can’t take one ounce of credit. It’s all God’s grace and blessing! Hugs to you!
Love the guest entry! Logan is doing wonderful things as always!
Thank you, Ty! Come see your Crawford momma!
Great post!!!