A Lasting Legacy

The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:6 (NIV)

A single woman with no children, I often wonder about my purpose in life. That I have no siblings and few extended family members only increases my feelings of purposelessness and loneliness. Fortunately, as a child of God, I have hope. God has given me a wonderful promise in Jeremiah 29:11, "'I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
Part of God's plan is for me to invest in the lives of others, just as others have invested in me: my parents who taught me to work hard and give generously, a pastor's wife who taught me to enjoy bird watching when I was a little girl, a Bible teacher who still takes the time to mentor me and pray for me even though she's very busy.
While I will never be blessed with children of my own, I have the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy through the children I serve as a social worker: helping them to see that they are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Ps. 139: 14). I listen as they talk about their struggles. I genuinely care about each one of these children. God promises me that the empathy and care I offer to them is not given in vain.