My wife and I were driving to the airport through downtown
St. Louis and I noticed all the graffiti on a new crosswalk over the
highway. I didn't understand it and most of the time I don't. It's hard for me
to understand why someone would so quickly mar new beautiful construction.
They tell me that graffiti is about self-expression. As if
to say, "I don't have a voice. No one is listening so I'm doing something
out loud here in this art." Sometimes it's marking territory with gangs,
"Just letting you know who is boss around here." Other times it's
flat out rebellion, "You make the rules. I break them. And you can't stop
me!"
At it's fundamental level though, I think it's a way to say, "I was here. Here's the proof." That's why the oldest form of graffiti was usually three words, "Sam was here." "Tracy was here." Hollywood may not know my name, but you will. I'm leaving my mark here so you'll know and you won't forget me.
Remembering Germaine
A few days ago, a woman from our church drew her last
breath, said her last prayer, and closed her eyes for the final time. At her
memorial, stories were shared about her life. Though her body weakened with
age, her zeal for faith only seemed to strengthen. She lived with a faith that
was always visible—never subtle, and she often spoke her mind, but never in a
mean or unkind way.
Often, after Sunday gatherings when I had preached, she would catch me and say, "Shawn, you know what? You're getting better. I'm praying for you and it seems to me that God is on the move around here and He is using you!" I never took offense at the "you're getting better" part, as I am intentional about improvement. I would tell her, "Germaine, thank you for praying. Please, keep it up!"
Paul's Words on Legacy
In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul writes in self-defense, responding
to those "super apostles" who claimed superiority. He asks, "Are
we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of
recommendation to you, or from you?" (2 Cor. 3:1, ESV). Paul's point is
clear: he doesn't need a publicist or to in some way leave an obvious mark, nor
does he seek to overshadow others.
Paul continues, "You yourselves are our letter of
recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you
show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink
but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets
of human hearts" (2 Cor. 3:2-3, ESV). There is no need to leave behind
physical evidence. You are our graffiti. My legacy is found in
transformed lives—faithfulness and devotion to Jesus are the greatest evidence.
The Mark We Leave
That is the legacy Germaine left for me and for us. The evidence is undeniable. She does not need a plaque in the church, a memorial stone on our campus, or a letter in the paper to mark her life. (Not that those things are bad.) God, by His Spirit, has written graffiti on our hearts: "Germaine was here."
I hope to live in the same way. What kind of graffiti is
your life painting today? Jesus does His best artwork through
the Spirit, painting on the hearts of human beings.
