Legacy


I’ve been thinking a lot about legacy lately.  Most people’s legacies are lost to history.  We know a lot about George Washington for instance.  The “father of our country”.  How much do we know about his kids though?  (He had two step-children by the way.)

The fact that we don’t know someone’s legacy does not mean that they did not leave one.  The questions as I see them are these.

#1 – Will you bother to do anything noteworthy enough that anyone will remember it?

#2 – If so, what will your legacy point to?  Your knowledge?  Your industry?  Your God?

I don’t have all the answers.  I’m still thinking on this one too.  What will be my legacy?  Who will know it?  Will it be notable?  Why?

Check out the lyrics of the song ‘Legacy’ by Nichole Nordeman:

I don’t mind if you’ve got something nice to say about me
And I enjoy an accolade like the rest
You could take my picture and hang it in a gallery
Of all who’s who and so-n-so’s that used to be the best
At such’n'such … it wouldn’t matter much

I won’t lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights
We all need an ‘Atta boy’ or ‘Atta girl’
But in the end I’d like to hang my hat on more besides
The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?
Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough
To make a mark on things?
I want to leave an offering
A child of mercy and grace who
blessed your name unapologetically
And leave that kind of legacy

I don’t have to look too far or too long awhile
To make a lengthly list of all that I enjoy
It’s an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile
Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

Not well traveled, not well read, not well-to-do or well bred
Just want to hear instead, “Well Done” good and faithful one…

 

 

QUESTION: Have you ever thought intentionally about your own legacy?

Related posts:

  1. Losing Ground
  2. Sixpence None the Richer
  3. The Christian Coma
  4. Won’t You Be A Neighbor?
  5. Breaking God’s Heart

Posted July 30, 2010 in The Blog with 5 Comments

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  • http://twitter.com/ServingStrong Scott Couchenour

    Hey, man, don't feel pressure to post unless God tells you to. There are only so many waking hours in a day and our energy is finite. (but I DO love reading what you say)

    I think legacy is nothing more than the accumulation of all the decisions we make every moment of every day. IMHO.

  • http://sarcasticxtian.com/ Scott Smith

    Right on, Scott – on both counts.

    Actually, I really enjoy blogging. As Michael Hyatt says, it's not just how I express what I think, it's how I figure it out. It also gives me an outlet to write, which I haven't really done since school. And it's easier to write a few thoughts on a topic than to sit down and churn out a book!

    You're exactly right on the definition of legacy. That means we have to live very deliberately and not let life just happen.

    Thanks!

  • http://twitter.com/ServingStrong Scott Couchenour

    I'm finding blogging to be fairly therapeutic, myself. Speaking of small choices leading to legacy, here's a post I wrote (shameless plug, I know) called “9-Inch Choices”

    http://servingstrong.typepad.com/main/2010/07/9...

  • http://sarcasticxtian.com/ Scott Smith

    Thanks for sharing Scott. Great post. It all matters, doesn't it?