Co-Creating the Legacy of My Message

Hey Everyone,

Here we are - the fifth and final blog in the Insane or Inspired series.

I wish I could wrap this all up with a perfect bow - a five-step plan to living a magical life. But if you've been following along then you know I am currently still living out the crazy ass move I talked about in Blog 4. Still not sure if this is inspiration or insanity.. But I'm committed either way :) LOL.

So why write a fifth blog?

Two reasons.

The less important reason... I like well rounded numbers. A Five-part series just feels complete. It's almost like writing a persuasive essay :).

The Main reason... I had a question come up when I was finishing the fourth blog. And the nerd in me got a ridiculous amount of joy at the idea of more research. Seriously it's embarrassing :).

In the first blog (Questioning the Sanity of My Faith), I said I wanted to approach faith like a child who trusts their parents. A child has no idea how to plan a life. They live in the moment. They don’t even know what’s possible — let alone how to get there. So they trust. Blindly. They assume their parents know what’s best. That their job is just to follow instructions — and that somewhere on the other side of that obedience, a good life is waiting.

Honestly, that’s how I’ve approached God most of my life. He’s the Father. I’m the child. And even when His instructions made no sense, I just tried to obey — hoping it would all work out in the end.

But as I was watching (okay, judging...) parents, a thought occurred to me the end goal of parenting isn’t about obedience forever. It’s about building understanding. Teaching wisdom. Helping kids become people who can think clearly, love and respect others, and make decisions. We want children to grow up — to become adults who can run their own homes, lead their own families, and pass something on to the next generation.

That means moving from external discipline to internal discipline. From thinking about themselves to thinking about others too. From seeing the present circumstances to building for the future.

If this is the point of parenting and God is our Father, then it would suggest that is what He wants for us too. There are verses in the Bible to back up this thinking - stories about the faithful being able to rule cities. About being a faithful servant who’s given leadership.

This is bit of a revelation for me as many Christian institutions teach that we need to be perfect servants. But servants aren't rulers. And Rulers aren’t lap dogs. They’re not robots. They’re not children. They’re decision-makers.

If you have been following this series, you know that I made some crazy moves that I hope were Inspired by the Lord. Moves that I thought were about me obeying the Lord to show my Faith.

But if the point of my Faith is to trust the Lord to get me to the next level of understanding, to teach me how to be a good productive member of His society... then that means He is training me towards being a ruler, not an obedient servant. A ruler of my own life.

Which I'm not going to lie... That's a little concerning. I mean I don't trust me to plan tonight's dinner let alone try to figure out where I belong in life and what I want to actually do in life.

Wish I was joking on that last part. Seriously, from the time I was in school - life for me was always about obey the authority. Listen to what the teacher says. Study what the professors want. Do as the coach says. Accomplish what the boss wants. Follow the church and Serve the Lord. Obey.

And at the end of that road was supposed to be a good life. Maybe even rewards if I was good enough.

But if the Lord wants me to become a ruler rather than a servant, then that changes how I view everything — especially the decisions I’ve made recently. Because if these life choices were truly inspired by God, then I should see some maturing towards becoming a decision making ruler.. rather than a dependent obedient child waiting for her next instructions (as I thought I was doing).

And I'm not sure where to start with that. I mean how does a parent guide a child towards the future anyway?

ROOTED ASSUMPTION

The obvious answer to that question (well given I am not a parent, I am totally guessing) is... to give the child the correct information. if a child has enough of the right education, the correct facts... then he will be set up to "win" at life.

That’s kind of the unspoken premise behind school, right? Your parents send you to school to get the education you will need to live life. And surely they wouldn’t teach you something you didn’t need. And your parents wouldn’t send you if it wasn’t vital to your future.

Church isn’t all that different. The idea is to go to Sunday School and sit through sermons in order to learn information from the expert authority on the subject, so that you can take that information and apply it to your life... so that your life can be better.

I believed transformation came through information. Which I think most people might think like me in this belief given our educational systems are built on the idea.

So when my life wasn’t changing or moving forward, I figured I was either doing it wrong, I didn't understand the information I had, — or I just didn’t have the right information yet.

So I continued seeking more information.

REVEALED IMAGE

Today we have more access to data, education, and resources that any generation in history. And yet, with all that information — and eight billion unique individuals on the planet — most lives are looking strangely similar.

Graduate high school. Go to College. Get a job. Get married. Buy a house. Have 2.5 kids and a dog. Enroll your kids in sports.

Rinse and Repeat.

The only variables seem to be which job, which school, which neighborhood. But the overall structure? It's almost copy and paste.

There's a famous creativity study George Land developed for NASA - that showed 98% of children tested at genius-level creativity before they began formal education. By the time those same kids reached adulthood? Less than 2% still tested at that level.

That’s mind-blowing. How can a population that starts out at genius-level — and is handed every “vital” piece of information for their future from school, church, internet, etc.. — end up with less creativity and near carbon-copy lives?

Interestingly enough even if the beliefs look different on paper... People still sort by the same variables: Which job to make money. Which school to enroll children in. Which neighborhood to live in. Which church to attend. You get the idea.

Maybe that is just life. Maybe those predictable steps — school, job, marriage, house, kids — really are the framework we’re supposed to follow. A lot of people live this way, and live it well. (Obviously I bombed it... thus all the questions... :) But that doesn't mean everyone else hasn't done well.)

But if we’re all individuals — with unique potential and purpose —why does it feel like we’re all horses on the same racetrack, running the same circle?

From the horse’s point of view, it just worked hard, ran fast, got swatted a few times to run harder and faster… and ended up exactly where it started. Right back at the gate.

No joy. No freedom. Just sweat and repetition.

All that training — just to finish where every other horse did.

RE-EXAMINED EVIDENCE

(Fair warning — the nerd in me takes over in this next section, and it gets… a little long. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 😂)

Science and psychology may have an explanation for why the lives of billions of people are looking eerily similar.

There is a well-known educational framework called Bloom’s Taxonomy that is used to describe the six stages of learning listed from shallow to deep.

1. Remember – Recall facts and information

2. Understand – Explain ideas and concepts

3. Apply – Use knowledge in real-life situations

4. Analyze – Break down systems and see patterns

5. Evaluate – Form judgments and make decisions

6. Create – Generate something new based on integrated learning

Which makes sense, right? When you read the list, you can see how one level becomes foundational for the next level.

Most educational systems (and religious institutions) usually only cover the first step of Memorization and maybe the second step of Understanding if there are group discussions. These two steps are the shallowest forms of learning.

Now I want to make sure to say... I'm not disrespecting the systems. They are trying to get what they believe to be vital information to move forward to a vast number of people in the most efficient way possible. And you need steps one and two before you can move onto step three.

That being said here is what I found interesting.... According to neuroscience and learning theory, what we do in the body actually shapes how we think, learn, and live. It's not just about information — it's about embodied cognition.

Here are just a few key findings:

• Repetition in the body builds muscle memory and shapes behavior.

• Mirror neurons fire when we observe and imitate others, training us through modeling — not just theory.

• Procedural memory (how we ride bikes, drive cars, or brush our teeth) is stored in the body — not in the thinking brain.

• Fun Fact: actor Jim Parsons (Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory) said he had to use muscle movement and rhythm — not pure intellect — to memorize his complex, scientific scripts.

So while we think our minds are learning content that we believe will move our lives forward... From childhood, our bodies have been conditioned to sit, wait, and consume — whether in a classroom or a pew. But the body is always learning — and what most of us are embodying is passivity. And that passivity gets embedded.

Now here's a mind-blowing fact. At least it was for me.

The lowest learning levels (or shallow learning) rely on rote memory and surface-level processing which creates Short-Term thinking. When you are trained to memorize and recall, your thinking is being trained to focus on the immediate. (What do I need to know right now?, What's expected of me today? Etc)

And unfortunately, this type of thinking is being carried into adulthood. (What's my boss want right now? What's the next bill I have to pay? What is the next thing I need to do?) It becomes a life of passively reacting - instead of actively creating.

But when you engage the higher levels of learning — apply, analyze, evaluate, create — you activate more parts of the brain. And none of those levels can happen without engaging the body. (To Apply, you have to take action, to Analyze you have to observe in real time, to Evaluate you have to practice judgment, and to Create you have to bring something into the physical.. into being.)

Long Story Short - Deep learning requires embodiment. And embodied Cognition creates Long-Term thinking. The questions shift to "How do all these experiences fit together?", "What patterns am I seeing?", "What am I meant to build with what I've learned?"

And this shift — from reacting to creating, from memorizing to embodying — has massive implications. Not just for how we learn, but for what kind of people we become… and the kind of future we leave behind.

REFRAMED BELIEF

What we leave behind — that’s the real point of this blog.

Whether we realize it or not, we are all creating a legacy. The question isn’t if we’ll leave one. It’s what kind of legacy we’re leaving behind — and whether we’re being intentional about it.

I believe we’re made in God’s image. And while not everyone may share that belief, the learning principles we covered earlier — especially the connection between embodiment, creativity, and long-term transformation — are grounded in science. Honestly, they’re kind of common sense when you stop to think about them.

According to Bloom’s Taxonomy, the deepest level of learning is Creating. That lines up with how God first introduced Himself in Scripture: as a Creator. Creation is about bringing something into the physical world that didn’t exist before. And creation — real, embodied creation — is what lasts.

We remember those who created something meaningful. Our Founding Fathers created a nation. Walt Disney created a world of imagination. Steve Jobs created the iPhone. Those creations are their legacies — physical realities that outlived them and shaped generations.

Most of us aren’t building theme parks or tech empires. But we’re still creating every day — through our actions, our priorities, our disciplines, and our defaults. Whether we’re aware of it or not, we’re passing something on.

A lot of people assume it’s their beliefs that will get passed down. But science — and experience — tells a different story. It’s not just the ideas we teach that last. It’s the disciplines we embody. What’s done in the body is remembered long after the belief behind it is forgotten.

You can see this in something as everyday as school. Generations ago, formal education was rare — but over time, a belief formed: Education will prepare children for the future. From that belief came a set of embodied practices — sit at a desk, follow the expert, memorize the material. Fast forward a few generations, and school has become so embedded in daily life, most people never even question it.

A belief became a discipline. A discipline became a legacy.

That’s why I think Jesus didn’t say, “Go and make believers.” He said, “Go and make disciples.”

A disciple isn’t just someone who agrees with an idea. A disciple is a disciplined one — someone who trains their body and life around what they believe. So deeply that it becomes instinctive.

Even in the Old Testament, God didn’t just tell the Israelites what to believe. He gave them disciplines — feasts, sabbaths, sacrifices, daily practices. Not because belief didn’t matter — but because embodied rhythms are what shape generations.

So if we’re made in the image of a Creator…And if creating is the deepest form of learning…Then maybe our purpose isn’t just to receive truth —But to co-create with God through the way we live it.

REFLECTIVE INVITATION

So… why does any of this matter? Or does it even matter?

I really hope it does — otherwise, I just spent three weeks writing this blog when I could’ve been researching something truly profound like Harry Potter, Twilight, or Fifty Shades of Grey.(Don’t judge me. LOL.)

I believe this matters because I believe each person was not only created in the image of God — who is a Creator — but also created for a unique purpose.

Why do I think this?

Because purpose always precedes creation.

No one randomly builds something and then says, “Hmm… now what can I use this contraption for? ”There’s usually a problem to solve — and the inventor learns, experiments, and eventually creates something to meet that need.

If we were intentionally created — not randomly assembled — then your life (and mine) was designed with purpose. A message to bring. A problem to help solve. A piece of creation only you can co-create.

That’s your message. And your message matters.

The problem is… most of us were never taught how to find that message. There’s no scroll from heaven. No bullet-point job description. Just bills to pay, mouths to feed, and days to survive.

So how do you find it?

Honestly… I’m still figuring that out myself. But here’s what I’m learning from this “Insane or Inspired” journey — and from... AI too.(Say what you want — I think AI is the bomb diggity. Okay, you can judge me for that one. I’m judging myself. 😆)

Start by paying attention to what draws you in — the questions you can’t stop asking, the burdens that break your heart, the themes that keep chasing you. Then, be willing to engage deeply.

Don’t stop at memorizing ideas. Move through them. Apply. Analyze. Evaluate. Create.

That’s how your message forms — not just in your head, but in your life.

And here’s the thing: You won’t find your message by waiting for someone else to hand it to you.

External discipline builds someone else’s dream. But internal discipline — the kind you embody through your own values and experiences — that’s what shapes a message worth passing on.

When you live like that — on purpose, with purpose — you begin to co-create something real with God.

Not just an idea. Not just a hope. But a message that becomes embodied… repeatable… pass-down-able.

That’s Legacy.

And maybe… that’s what I’ve been learning through all of this: How to co-create the long-term disciplines of my own message… even when I don’t fully see it yet.

Well I hope you enjoyed this series. Hopefully one day I will be able to answer with full clarity whether this entire journey was a walk of faith or a stroll straight down Fairy Lane :).

Jacqueline Marie