Forgotten Legacies

READ: PSALMS 33:12-22; 78:1-8

You may know that the Wright Brothers invented the first functional airplane, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and Louis Pasteur developed a process that makes milk safe to drink. A lot of people also know Pasteur developed a vaccine for rabies in humans.

But few people know that modern physical therapy was introduced by Sister Elizabeth Kenny, a nurse in Australia. It was part of her Kenny Method to treat polio. And regrettably, most people have never heard of Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis. Dr. Semmelweis developed an antiseptic method of child delivery. Despite overwhelming proof his antiseptic method greatly reduced the deaths of new mothers, most physicians refused to adopt it until years after his death.

Each of these people left a legacy that will continue to benefit humanity for years to come. Some are widely remembered. Some are not.

It’s the same in the Bible. We may be aware of Moses and the forty years he devoted to leading the Israelites to the promised land. We might remember Peter and Paul’s incredible missionary work, Queen Esther’s courage, and Mary’s quiet obedience.

But, do we remember Shiphrah and Puah? The king of Egypt ordered these two midwives to kill all Hebrew baby boys at birth. Instead, the midwives let the baby boys live (Exodus 1:15-22). Do we remember Lois and Eunice, Timothy’s grandmother and mother who raised him in the faith (2 Timothy 1:5)? Or Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who were secretly disciples of Jesus? They were the ones who prepared Jesus’s dead body for burial and placed Him in a tomb—the same tomb Jesus would rise from three days later (John 19:38-42).

As believers in Jesus, we can know that He is with us, empowering us to follow Him and take part in His good work. Much of what we do out of love for God will go unnoticed by others or someday be forgotten. But even when we forget, our loving God sees and remembers the contributions of everyone. • Kathy Irey

• Have you ever felt like nobody notices what you do? Even when other people don’t recognize or remember our contributions, what we do matters. The things we do out of love for God and our neighbors, big and small, have eternal significance. And God honors all these things. What are some ways we can celebrate with others and encourage them when they accomplish something? (Romans 12:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:10-13)

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)