How do you define L E G A C Y…?
On This 4th of July weekend of FREEDOM, we reflect on a life well lived; that life being our cherished, and the late Uncle Bill Moorehead.
According to the dictionary, legacy is defined as “something that is handed down or remains from a previous generation or time”.
For me, legacy is not a something, but a person …. and his name is Bill Moorehead.
Uncle Bill, my mom’s brother, has been an encourager and mentor, in the truest sense of the word, for more than 4 decades. Bill Moorehead leaves a legacy of faithfulness on many fronts …. to his family, his friends, his country, and mostly to his God, manifested in the person of Jesus Christ. What “remains” as legacy from Bill Moorehead is his “life giving inspiration” and a longing to “finish strong”.
I had the privilege of speaking to Bill just days before he “graduated” from this earth into eternity with his God. His long bout with cancer was coming to an end. His persona was gentle, loving and gracious …. faithful to God and eternally hopeful. He was not afraid of physical death for he was looking forward to his eternal destination.
However, let me be quick to say that it’s not only how Bill Moorehead faced his mortality, but, equally important, is how he LIVED his life with passion, purpose and zeal for the things of God. He practiced this essence habitually where faith, trust and confidence in God oozed throughout his entire being.
Uncle Bill counseled me for years …. with wisdom and a prophetic voice. He modeled what it means to be a man after God’s own heart. For that example, I am forever grateful.
When Irene was diagnosed with Primary Amyloidosis and Uncle Bill facing cancer head on at the same time, their spirits became kindred in a fashion that only God can fully comprehend. I recall many times when Irene, facing her own colossal journey, was immensely encouraged after speaking with Uncle Bill either in person or on the telephone. On several occasions I don’t even know what they talked about but this I do know …. it was Holy Spirit led, empowered and enabled …. and both of them understood the spiritual dimension of faith and trust in God more than I can even begin to imagine.
Bill Moorehead modeled a life of service as a distinguished Air Force Officer, later becoming a consultant and minister of the Gospel.
As Uncle Bill enjoys life in Heaven which includes building new relationships with many of the Bible characters he longed to meet, I can only hearken to the fact that one day, in the blink of an eye, we will share his eternity with our Holy, Loving and Infinite God, personified in the God Man, Jesus Christ.
