The life surrendered to God has impact far beyond the grave.

And sometimes through the grave.

Are you scratching your head? Hang on. I just stumbled upon a fascinating passage while studying God’s Word this morning.

I was reading 2 Kings 13:21 and this simple verse leaped out. “Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.”

Say whaaaaa?

Can you imagine being so full of the Spirit that even your decaying bones could bring someone back to life? Seems outlandish. Crazy. But it’s really not.

Some of the greatest impacts on my life have come from people long gone before my time. Corrie, Caspar and Betsy Ten Boom, to name a few. A dear pastor named Bro. Kelso impacted my life for eternity before I was ever born. How, you ask? He was a pastor willing to pick up a rebellious, wild-spirited fourteen year old girl and drag her to church Sunday after Sunday, week after week, year after year. This girl was saved and taught her children to give their lives to God as well.

That girl was my mother and I’m eternally indebted to Bro. Kelso for his stubborn persistence.

My mother recently read a poem written by my grandmother at a worship service in their church, a poem Grandma Fern had painstakingly crafted years ago. That poem spoke life into a hurting soul who sitting in church that day, feeling overwhelmed and broken. They left encouraged.

Hint: Grandma Fern passed away several years ago.

Many people say they want to ‘leave behind a legacy’ and understandably so. I think the idea can be quite noble but sometimes our perspectives get a little twisted. We get focused on a legacy (which is really a cry for significance, a puffing up of our pride) and push away the thought that true, lasting power is found when we fall to our knees each morning and surrender our problems and victories to God. And when we are faithful in those small things that make up our daily grind, God has a masterful way of blessing them, growing them into the big things. The legacies. The world-changing things.

Put another way…what we leave behind is a direct consequence of how we live our life today.

To the tired mom who is cleaning up crushed Cheerios and wiping grimy faces for the umpteenth time, you are caring for precious lives. Lives that could grow up to be mighty warriors for Christ. To the man driving the church bus every dark Sunday morning, caffeine in hand, you are bringing the hurting right to the foot of the cross. For the pastor who is overwhelmed with criticism and a schedule too tightly packed to juggle, what you do changes lives. Don’t believe otherwise.

The key to a powerful, Spirit-filled, adventure-packed life is seeking God now. Not our own agendas or our pride but seeking Him. Knowing Him. Loving Him. Walking hand in hand with Him.

When we surrender every fiber of our lives to God, the impact is eternal. He blesses what we’re willing to surrender.

It’s powerful stuff. It’ll make the dead sit right up.