My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of his cross crucified me with him. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me—we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that he gave himself for me, and dispenses his life into mine! Galatians 2:20 The Passion Translation

This blog is part of the Five Minute Friday community. Please join us as we write for 5 minutes on a word provided. Don’t overthink it. Simply take it and run.

GO

How do you measure success?

Today would have been my Mom’s earthly birthday. She moved to Heaven nine years ago after a beautiful life of serving the Lord. At age 16 she accepted Jesus as her Savior and never turned back. She graduated early from high school and studied for the ministry. While at LIFE Bible College she met a young man with the same passion for the Lord. They married after both graduated and entered the pastoral ministry. They also served as missionaries for many years in Latin America and Spain.

I honored her birthday by posting our picture on FaceBook and asking for posts about what people remembered most about her.

The answers had me in tears most of the day as I read what people from all over the world were posting,

Here are a few of the comments:

I remember her advice and encouragement in difficult times.

She never changed even after leaving Costa Rica. She and your Dad remained the same. I will always love them.

I’ve never known a person who loved the Lord more than she did. She was always full of faith.

Your parents dedicated their lives to teaching the Word and singing praises. Greetings and love from Panama.

I will never forget the sunsets in the Victory Circle at Camp Roblealto.

I will never forget the courage, surrender and love for Jesus that allowed them to give their lives to His service. They taught us biblical truths that remain to this day. I want to be just like them.

Your mom was always precious to my heart. She would tell me stories about the ministry on the mission field. If they were at a camp where I was directing or speaking I would sit at a table with her as she will tell me the stories of what Jesus did in the countries. I loved those talks. We would talk about the Word and it would work so deep into my heart as she would speak of the glory of the Lord Jesus! Thank for sharing such a precious gift to the body Karen. You are just very much like her.

Your parents left in you a beautiful legacy.

Hug everyone with sincere love. Teach the Word of God to those who will learn and apply it. Make sure that you share a message of the love of Jesus, the privilege of serving Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in all you do.

Sounds like success to me. When I grow up I want to be just like her. Here’s a link to the video I created for her life celebration nine years ago.

STOP

Please join a vibrant community who blogs for five minutes on one word every Friday by clicking here.

Author, speaker, corporate trainer, ordained minister and Hope Catalyst, Karen Sebastian enjoys sharing her rich life experiences with others – engaging them in adventurous discoveries of the beauty of hope in a dark, cloudy world. Her books will inspire you to embrace hope no matter what you are going through. As a caregiver and widow she took brave steps forward to fulfill God’s calling on her life. She has now remarried and enjoys her new hubby and spending time with their children and grandchildren. To increase hope and improve relationships with yourself and those that you love, check out her Facebook page – The Power of Hope.