Have you ever considered what kind of fingerprints you’ll leave at the end of your life? If it’s something worthwhile, we need to work towards that goal now while we can still make a difference.
I thought about that recently as I drove through our city and realized that my husband has left his fingerprints all over town. Paul is a masonry contractor, and we’ve been in business for 41 years. Along with our general contractor son, we’ve also built spec and custom homes throughout our community. In the course of those 41 years, Paul’s worked on countless homes and businesses in several states.
I can drive through downtown and see places where he’s repaired buildings and built new ones. I can drive through neighborhood after neighborhood and see where Paul’s left his mark. He’s worked extensively in the historic district, taking old, worn-out houses, turning them into homes of fresh beauty.
Our town hosts the largest privately-owned home in the country, the stunning Biltmore Estate where tourists throng each year for tours. Paul’s been one of the craftsmen who have worked on the estate, making careful repairs and spending weeks there building brick sidewalks.
Whenever I pull into the driveway, I see his handiwork—and feel the love—in our home because he left his fingerprints on every piece of it when he built it for our family.
And I’ve loved watching Paul use his construction skills on short-term mission projects, helping those who have so little.
But the story doesn’t end there. I can drive downtown and see the tunnel my electrician grandfather wired. I can drive down the interstate and see where my uncle did the electrical work. Paul’s dad was a master carpenter. He also left his mark behind on many homes and businesses, and I’ve found old newspaper articles where Paul’s grandfather worked on buildings in the adjoining county.
I have a love for history, and I’m grateful our children and grandchildren will see their dad’s and other family members’ fingerprints all over our town and state.
All of them touched our community through their construction skills, but even more important, they have touched the lives of my family and others as they left behind fingerprints for God. They loved Jesus, loved their families and invested their lives in sharing about Him with others. They lived Jesus in front of their families every day, leaving behind an example for future generations.
What kind of fingerprints are you leaving behind today? What can you do to make them count for eternity? Those are the things that will truly matter when others share the story of your life.
Dear Father, help us to make the moments of our lives count for You. As we spend the hours and minutes You’ve allotted to us, help us to spend them wisely and to leave behind fingerprints that will draw others to You. Amen.
