Leaving a Legacy...

~Justin~
I am in a very contemplative mood tonight. Having just attended my last Large Group weekly meeting at the Mines campus, I am realizing that things that I thought would never end, actually are ending. I never really thought about how I would eventually have to move on from this amazing community of friends that we have here. I feel like we are so tightly woven, that if I try to extricate myself, it'll hurt me! But it has to be so.

If we never were to move on, we would never glean new experiences out of life! It is important for me to realize that while I have had an incredible time here in this fellowship of Jesus followers, and while I will always be welcome there, it is time to let those friends of mine who have not moved on have their turn. Its time for me to quietly step out of the way and give them room to grow and to lead in God's Kingdom.

In some very strange ways, I feel very close to Bilbo Baggins right now. He had some amazing adventures, but eventually he had to pass the ring on to Frodo, so that he could have his own adventures. (While I have no idea how I am intertwining this reflective moment with a LOTR reference, I am rather pleased with myself :D ) But in seriousness, I and the other graduating seniors are leaving behind a legacy. This legacy is larger than any individual person or name. It is a legacy of community. A legacy of following Jesus well. A legacy of loving one another, as Jesus loves us. That's the legacy we are leaving behind. I believe that God calls us to leave behind these legacies wherever we go, wherever we take the Gospel.