From Longing to Legacy

In 1995 Oseola McCarty donated $150,000 to the University of Southern Mississippi to be used to give scholarships to needy students. Was Oseola an alumni of the school who had experienced great financial success and was able to give a small portion back to the school that had educated her and enabled her to enjoy an exciting career? No, Osceola never even set foot on the campus of USM. She was an 87 year old African American woman who had been forced to leave school in the sixth grade. She had eked out a very meagre living as a washerwoman scrubbing clothes by hand on a washboard. After over 70 years of gruelling toil, her sacrificial scrimping and saving had helped her amass an amount that could have ensured her enjoyment of some simple luxuries in her old age. Instead she selflessly gave most of the money away for the education she never got the chance to encounter herself.

King David had also been denied something that his heart desired. Oseola McCarty longed to obtain an education; David aspired to build the house of God - the Temple. But David’s hands were stained with too much blood so God told him he would not be the one to oversee the construction of the Temple. Like Oseloa, David chose to bypass bitterness over this disappointment, and focus on amassing resources to enable another to fulfill the dream he couldn’t.

David accumulated many failures as a father, many of them attributed to the fallout from his sin with Bathsheba. However, just as God forgave his sin, God also offered him a fresh grace in his role as a father with his son Solomon. Solomon would ascend to the throne after David’s death and his father did all he could to make his son’s reign successful. David labored for a smooth transition of power. He strove for Solomon to have the love and respect of all of Israel. David ensured that all enemies of the nation were vanquished and Solomon could reign in peace and prosperity without the threat of war dogging him. But most of all, David envisioned the house of God in Jerusalem, a permanent place for Israel to gather to worship their God.

As David neared the end of his time on earth, God gave him a renewed energy that he poured into preparation of the construction of Temple. He drafted plans, raised funds, collected materials, trained craftsmen and artisans, and recruited and instructed priests all to make the job of building the temple easier for Solomon. He also met with Solomon to encourage and impress upon him the importance of having a building for worship. This became the legacy David would pass on to the next generation.

Perhaps you too have a deep desire tucked within the recesses of your heart. For whatever reason it appears as if that desire will never see the light of day in your lifetime or through your efforts. That doesn’t mean your dream has to die completely. As both David and Oseola can attest, perhaps your dream can come to fruition through another person or people. Maybe your role is not to actually fulfill the dream on your own but to prepare the groundwork and collect the resources for someone else to see it come to life. Maybe your legacy will be that of a supporter, mentor and encourager rather than that of a builder.

Many young people in Mississippi would not have a university degree without Oseola’s foresight and selflessness. Solomon’s Temple may never have been erected if it weren’t for David’s efforts to make it happen. Dreamwork takes teamwork. Never underestimate your part in accomplishing your goals even if it is vicariously.

*Lord Jesus, you have put some desires on my heart. Some of them I may not see come to life myself. Grant me grace to accept that. Give me wisdom to view these aspirations as a torch I can pass on to the next generation. Guide me to find ways I can contribute to ensure others can successfully fulfil the dream. Amen. *

Consider This: Sometimes God’s “No” could actually be a “Not you”. Leave a legacy where the dream is bigger than your desire to be the one to live it.