What Will Your Legacy Be?
Legacy is rarely built in one defining moment. It is built over thousands of ordinary days through faithfulness, hard work, sacrifice, and the choices we make when no one is watching.
This week we honor one man whose life reminds us what that looks like.
This past week, Jeremy’s grandpa, Frank Frost, passed away at the age of 96. Now home with Jesus, we offer this week’s fist bump in his honor.
As far back as anyone can remember, he went by his nickname “Bud”. It was a name that fit him. A man who was physically strong, always working hard, even into his later years, living independently at his home and managing his lake cottage. He was always up for a good time; he enjoyed people and a good conversation. Loved to play cards and was ALWAYS game to go fishing…AND clean the fish afterward. He was such a contented man. No matter the circumstances, he always said he had a good life. He was humble, often self-deprecating, but those who knew him recognized he was a smart and wise man. He appreciated the little things in life; he appreciated people.
“So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 8:15
Bud’s positive attitude and mindset didn’t come from an easy life. His mom passed away when he was 13 years old, resulting in a difficult family situation that put him on his own at an early age. He literally lived in a barn that a young couple generously offered to him as he worked on the farm and did odd jobs through his teenage years.
Barely in his 20s, he was sent to the Korean War on the front lines, leaving his wife and recently born first daughter behind. Upon returning, he worked for and eventually purchased an HVAC business, but continued to work tirelessly at other jobs. And not easy ones! Tarring and installing barn roofs, farming, installing asbestos insulation, spraying pesticides that, in his words, would instantly kill a bird when it hit it! Waking up every day and doing whatever it takes to support his family. When we went to the doctor in later years, they always had good and bad news. Bad news was that he had done almost everything that is supposed to kill you, even starting smoking in his teenage years. Yet the good news was that it hadn’t got him, so keep on living! And he did that!
His legacy is something his family is proud of. Many are fortunate for the sacrifices he made to raise a family of three kids, which offered them, their kids, and grandkids so much more than he could ever have dreamed of. He never needed or asked for much, but he was proud of his family because of the foundation he had built. This reminds us of our Seven24 verse.
“Everyone who hears these words of mine, and puts them into practice, is like a wise man who built his house on rock.” Matthew 7:24.
Bud Frost made the most of what God gave him on earth. It wasn’t easy, but the world was a better place because he was in it. In his last couple of weeks, he was able to spend time at home with over 50 visitors stopping by to tell stories and remember good times. Fitting for him, his last dinner was his favorite: a bluegill dinner. Followed by a morning breakfast of ice cream and coffee!
In Proverbs 13:22, the bible says, “A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children.”
Often, people relate this verse to material possessions left behind. However, the Hebrew word for inheritance means far more than that. It’s about the legacy left behind. Represented by character, wisdom, honesty, integrity, and a work ethic that helped him survive 96 years on this tough earth, Bud Frost has left a legacy for his family and friends.
After over 40 years apart, we are happy that he is reunited with his wife in heaven. Well-deserved, Bud. May you never go another day without a fishing pole in your hand. Your family loves you.
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