Who do you think we’re going to be proud of when our Master Jesus appears if it’s not you? You’re our pride and joy! 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 

(the Message)

Parents, teachers, liaisons, and mentors are in unique positions. They are charged with introducing the future to those who are just starting the journey. We start our journey of life, knowing nothing. We have to be taught everything from feeding ourselves to getting ourselves from one place to another. We watch what others do and we try to copy their actions. We watch how others talk, and we try to copy the conversations that bring smiles to the important people in our lives. We try to avoid the conversations that bring frowns — at least until the hormones kick in and we start to look forward to the frowns as an indication that we’re “cutting the apron strings.”

We go to school and try to decide who we want to be when we finally grow up. Do we want to be the one who is always clean and neat in the classroom? Do we want to be the rebel who questions everything? Do we want to be book smart or street smart? Do we want friends, or do we just want to be left alone?

At some point, we are faced with fending for ourselves. What kind of person do we want to become? Do we even think about who we want to be, or do we just put one foot in front of the other in a mindless meander through life?

The thing that we sometimes miss, is that we are all teachers, liaisons, and mentors — whether we know it or not. People watch what we do and how we do it. Do our words match our actions, or do we say one thing but act out another? There is an old joke where a parent is talking to kids and saying, “Do what I say, not what I do!” We used to say it laughingly but lately, I wonder if the kids didn’t pick up on the irony of that comment and lose respect for us because of it.

Paul, Silas, and Timothy spent time with the Thessalonians, teaching them about this new religion of Jesus Christ. They paid attention to the people and were honest in their replies to the questions asked of them. They got jobs in the community and joined in with the community life, and something that was said or something that was done sparked a response.

There is nothing more humbling and, at the same time, more heart-warming than to hear our words come back to us as they are said by our children to someone else. It’s a legacy that we leave for the future through the people we meet along life’s journey. What kind of legacy do we want to pass along? Wouldn’t it be nice if our legacy led to hope in the future, giving people the strength to survive the trauma of the present?

Becky Gillette is a former teacher, newspaper reporter, and preacher who seeks to take an original approach to life’s lessons. She has recently published her first book, Jessie’s Corner: Something To Think About, which is now available for purchase. Based on several lesser-known scriptures from the Bible, this is a collection of articles which she wrote for a weekly newspaper.