Dear Friends,
Last night at our Life Group
Bible study we discussed the importance of leaving a legacy. One of the
questions that was asked was how do you think a persons’ character or choices
influence the legacy they leave for their family or community.
What will people remember
about you when you leave planet earth. What words will be spoken at your
funeral? Those are important things for all of us to think about.
“The only thing that walks
back with the mourners from the grave and refuses to be buried is your legacy.
I don’t know who wrote this, but years ago I memorized it so it would be a
continual reminder that when I leave this earth, I want to leave something
of value behind that will outlive me.
Steve Saint, the martyred
missionary to the Auca Indians writes, “Your story is the greatest legacy that
you will leave to your friends. It’s the longest-lasting legacy you will leave
to your heirs.”
At my age I am more
conscious than ever of the legacy I will leave behind when I am gone. As the
sand in my hourglass is emptying , and that final grain has passed, what
remains of me will only be the memory of what I was.
It has been said the power
of a person’s life is in the stories they leave behind. What are the stories
people will remember when they talk about you? What are the values they will
extoll as they talk about you at your funeral?
I think of Bill Roberts, a
member of our church who died a number of years ago. I will always remember the
terrific bear hug he would give everyone who entered the church. To this day
his love for people still permeates the pews in our old sanctuary.
Throughout our lives,
people have shaped and influenced us. We are different because of these people.
How will the lives of
those people who have been around us be different because of what they have
seen and heard and experienced in us? And most importantly, how will they be
different spiritually?
What kind of spiritual
impact will you leave behind that will continue to live on in the lives of your
children and your grandchildren when you are gone?
“Legacy is not leaving
something for people. It’s leaving something in people.” says business
strategist Peter Strople
John Maxwell talks about a
trip he once took to visit Mother Teresa’s tomb. He writes, when he got there,
he found out that the room where the tomb was located was being used for a
special ceremony.
Maxwell writes, “We could
see a group of about 40 to 50 nuns seated, all dressed in a familiar habit that
Mother Teresa had worn.”
‘What’s going on in there,’
I asked a nun passing by?
She smiled and said, ‘Today
we are taking 45 new members into our order.’ And then she hurried away
into another part of the building.
Mother Teresa was gone,
but her legacy was continuing. She had made an impact on the world, and she had
developed leaders who were carrying on her vision.”
Whether it’s Bill Roberts
or Mother Teresa, every one of us has a mission in life, and that mission is to
make our world a better place in which to live. And we can do that by the
spiritual footprints we leave behind, as we continue follow in the footsteps of
Jesus.
Your commitment to live
for Jesus, and your unwillingness to compromise His values will leave a mark on
the hearts of those you leave behind.
Someday people will
summarize your life in a single sentence. What would you want that sentence to
be?
Why not take a moment to
write out that sentence and then commit to doing whatever you can to make it a
reality in your life.
A godly legacy is a legacy
that lasts.
In closing, I remind you
that “A righteous man will be remembered forever.” (Ps 112:6 NIV).
Yours in faith and
friendship,
Tom
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