Better Get to Living by Onyx Conklin
“It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.”
That line was written by the (can I even type these words?) the late great Dolly Parton. If somehow you ended up sleeping through this month, let me let you in on a sad truth—Dolly has departed earth and gone to Heaven. Y’all (that’s the word we use in the south), this loss has messed me up. One of my music heroes has gone to be with Jesus and I’m not okay about it right now. I have been playing song after song for days just grieving the loss of this pioneer, incredible songwriter, and beautiful singer.
Why is Dolly’s loss so hard? Well just scroll through the news and social media and read the literally thousands of words of tribute to this Tennessee queen who went from rags to riches. Her story is quite remarkable and inspiring. Dolly grew up dirt poor in the hills of Tennessee, reinvented herself, became someone of admiration and talent, and then went on to give, and give, and give back. The thing is she made a choice about her life at an early age. Given her looks and personality, I’m certain many a man tried to take advantage of her in more ways than one. But Dolly stayed resolute—a diamond in a rhinestone world—and she did it with love and grace.
As I read the tributes, though Dolly was a marvel in looks and wardrobe, it was not the forefront of the descriptive words of life and love. Celebrities across the globe talk about her genuineness, kindness, encouragement, humor, vision and talent, strength, grit, lovingkindness, faithfulness to her husband of 60 years, and oh, the words of praise for her generosity. I’m not sure a person can be found who didn’t love her.
How would you like to leave a legacy like that? I’m not talking about money or fame; I’m talking about the content of our character. The book of Proverbs, in my top five favorites of Bible books, speaks about character. Proverbs 22:1 says:
A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
I love that so much! The fact is, our name is one of the few things we own that God gave us. And it’s what we do with the person God made us to be that matters. All of us with leave earth for Heaven one day. God will not compare our life to that of a celebrity or anyone else. He will hold us accountable by the Name of Jesus. Will your name, will my name be listed as someone who loved, honored, and believed in HIS Name. There is no higher calling than what we do to honor the life, death, resurrection, and legacy of Jesus.
Dolly lived her 80 years to the fullest. Her fruit and her legacy reflected that. Tomorrow is a new day, but only today is promised. Do we want to give our champion best to honor what we have been given and the ONE who gave it to us. I’ll leave you with some wisdom from Dolly’s own song, “Better Get To Livin.”
“You better get to livin’, givin’
A little more thought about bein’
A little more willin’ to make a better way
Don’t sweat the small stuff
Keep your chin up
Just hang tough
And if it gets too rough
Fall on your knees and pray
And do that everyday
Then you’ll get to livin”
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