What Will You Leave Behind?

^“Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, (which translated into Greek means Dorcas). She was rich in acts of kindness and charity which she continually did.  During that time it happened that she became sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upstairs room.  Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, “Come to us without delay.”  So Peter got up [at once] and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upstairs room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing [him] all the tunics and robes that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.”         Acts 9:36-39

There is so much to unpack in these few verses about a woman rich in good deeds. What is most striking is how her friends displayed her handiwork after her death. It is almost as if they were proving her worth and value in their eyes, validating their need to deeply grieve. Do you ever wonder what will be on display after you have gone to the other side?  What sort of rich acts of kindness and charity will you leave behind? How painful it must have been for these women who were most likely the recipients of those charitable deeds.

Interestingly enough, Tabitha was from a city whose name could be translated, “Beautiful.” Whether or not she possessed outward beauty, she was clothed with an inner virtue that seemed to emulate the Proverbs 31 woman: “She knows that her merchandise is good, and her lamp does not go out in the night.  Her hands take hold of the distaff, and her hands grasp the spindle.  She extends her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy.”  (vv. 18-20)

I chuckle as I think about a movie I watched as a little child. “Ding-dong the Witch is dead,” sang the munchkins in The Wizard of Oz, rejoicing in the demise of one who had done so wickedly. What a startling contrast to the grieving friends of Tabitha!

Beautiful woman.. beautiful deeds… beautiful city. No wonder… she served a beautiful God!

Lord, please let me leave behind a legacy of rich, charitable deeds that will give you glory and cause others to marvel at the beautiful God I served.