A LEGACY IN MY HEART by Robert Soto

A LEGACY IN MY HEART by Robert Soto

March 16, 2010

Titus 2:13 "...while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ..."

Not to add to the emotions but two days ago was the birthday and anniversary of another legacy that lived with us for three hundred and eighty-one and one-quarter days of our lives. It was our first son whose name my grandson bears. He was not with us long. For just over one year this special gift from heaven was given to us. He came into this world 32 years ago. He came with a full head of black hair, as most of our Indian children do. He came with his skin darker than normal as most of our Indian kids do. His first toy was a little Indian drum that I had purchased in the gift store of the reservation where I used to work. He loved that little drum. He use to hit it with his little drumstick and in his little mind, he knew he was destined to play that drum. He started bobbing up and down as he held onto the edge of the coffee table as if he knew that was what he was created to do. I would take long rides with him to the reservation where I worked as an alligator wrestler/snake handler. I would talk to him and share my dreams for him and his future. I'm not sure he understood but he would always look at me with his big black eyes as if every word I said made perfect sense.

His life was cut short by a disease that had become resistant to the strongest antibiotics available at the time. He left us so young. I often wonder what life would have been like if by some reason God the Creator would have allowed him to live. I often wonder about the pow wows we would have danced in together, and the songs we would have sung together. The words we would have spoken together and all the laughs we would have had together. The sores and pains of growing up and the girls he would have met and the trophies he would have won and the lives he would have changed, if only he would have lived a little longer. But we still celebrate life in the midst of death. We celebrate the life we will spend in eternity with him, in view of the life we receive when we place our trust in Jesus as our personal Savior. So we look for that better hope. That place where life will be nothing but the perfect world we long for. But until then we wait. Paul said, "...we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ..." So we wait patiently for that day when all shall be new and when we are reunited with our loved ones who have gone on before us. Soon, I and my son will do those things we could not do on earth. Soon, I and my son will be together again.

Robert Soto, Lipan Apache and pastor of:

McAllen Grace Brethren Church
The Native American New Life Center
Chief of Chiefs Christian ChurchW