Leave A Legacy

Okay fun side note: My old Instant Messenger name from when I was little was "Leavealegacy7"...I just think that's funny and since it's relevant to this blog, I had to go there...

SO wow, I have so many thoughts and am so overwhelmed with emotions that I figured I’d stay up after everyone has gone to bed to write this blog post…and okay maybe I want to brag on my family a little bit too. We’re visiting family in Mexico and I just always feel so encouraged and inspired when I spend time with my tias and their families.

...I really love my tias. Maybe it’s because every time I see them they call me “flacita” (skinny) or because they are short and precious or because they like to take my arm and affectionately put their head on my shoulder or smuggle me with kisses.

But I think my love for them goes beyond the little things.

The Orta ladies are the most tangible example of Proverbs 31 women that I have ever met. When you are with them you truly experience the power of the Holy Spirit and you see the beauty of Christ in their words, their actions, their hearts. It is the most beautiful, unexplainable experience and I am so humbled to get to inherit their legacy.  

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue" Proverbs 31:26

One of the things that most inspires me about my tias is their rich prayer lives. To say my tias are prayer warriors is the ultimate understatement of the century. These women know how to PRAY man. So SO many memories of experiencing this:

I will never forget New Years two years ago, sitting around the dinner table as the clock stroke midnight, and having my ears flooded with the words of a beautiful prayer in Spanish filled with passion. My Tia Raquel prayed over every single person around that table, for their families, for every detail of their lives. 

As I laid in bed last night, I heard my Tia Rebeca crying out to God in fierce prayer. It was one of the most beautiful experiences! Her heart for our Savior radiates to everyone around her, and to hear a glimpse of her personal time with God – phew, I was just blown away.

I remember the last time I was here in Mexico right before I left for the mission field in Costa Rica. My Tia Rosa laid her hands on me and prayed over this call that God had placed on my life. She prayed over the people of Costa Rica, for the teams that would come and serve, for personal strength and perseverance, for the spiritual warfare that would surely come, and for all the glory to ultimately be given to our God.

Tonight, as I sat at the table with my Tia Rosa and filled her in on my life the inevitable conversation of boys and relationships came up. As I shared with her my heart and the boy who has recently captured it, her eyes began to fill with tears. She reminded me that she had prayed and prayed ever since I was born over every detail of my life. She felt her prayers were confirmed when she heard my heart. She reminded me of God’s perfect sovereignty and provision. She so fully trusts that God will provide a partner for me whose desires align with mine, when my desires are aligning with His.

As I watched tears roll down her eyes, I felt so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit; knowing, trusting that when my tias say they pray over me – I mean, they PRAY over me.

I was reading the Sermon on the Mount in The Message yesterday. 

One section talks about “Empty Promises” it says:

“And don’t say anything you don’t mean…You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’” Matthew 5:33-37

Man, how many times have I had this thought…for those of us in the Christian circle I am sure this may strike a chord or two. There’s nothing wrong with saying you will pray over someone, but just make sure you do it. Heck, do it with them – pray over them. Let it be heard. I promise it will be much more powerful. It makes me smile to think of my friend Carrie who is such a beautiful example of this! I can just hear her sweet voice “Hey, can we pray really quick?” or “I just feel like we all need to pray right now over this.” Shout-out to Carrie: you're awesome!

So anyways, this is kind of jumbled but as I sit here in the silence, at the end of a sweet day filled with laughter, praise, and love I am just filled with gratitude to be part of this family. Our families impact us SO much, whether we want to admit it or not. Our actions can have an eternal and lasting impact and we leave a legacy for future generations. As the Caldwell Clan welcomes our first little baby I can’t help but feel like our impact is just now starting. I want to be like my tias. I want to pray fervently over every detail of Baby Caleb’s life. I want my life to shine for Christ so that he may experience Him in a mighty way when we are together. I want him to come to a place where he personally enjoys God's overwhelming presence all the days of his life. I want to leave a legacy where faith is not just words, it’s not just church or Sunday School lessons; it’s a lifestyle, it’s action, it’s a daily and personal relationship with God that people can genuinely, unexplainably experience. 

What legacy do you want to leave?