Tag Archives: living a legacy life

Live to be forgotten?

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Whether it’s at a reunion celebration or a celebration of life service, most of us like to be remembered. In fact, we intentionally plan to be remembered by living a life of legacy that extends beyond our earthly years. While few of us will have large hospitals or libraries bearing our name, we hope to leave a legacy at our work, in our family, and in our church and community. After we’ve gone our legacy is based on our accomplishments, our character and the choices we made. That legacy is influenced largely by how we treat people, especially those who have no chance or power to advance our cause. Jesus said it is how we treat “the least of these” that matters greatly. Relationship are all we take to heaven.

And yet how quickly legacies turn from current memory to forgotten history. Do you remember the surge of national patriotism the days following the 9/11 attacks? And do you remember how quickly the unity dispersed and divisiveness again swept our country? Who will remember the history you experienced? Sacrifices made for just causes, values upheld in the face of persecution, faith in the middle of stormy life events, love and peace amidst the chaos of divisiveness.

The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. Some died and others were born in the desert, having no recollection of the miraculous way God rescued them from the Egyptians. They were exiled into Babylon for seventy years. Entire generations  lived to be born and die in captivity. They had no personal experience with life “back home.” Only the legacy of faithfulness sustained them in tough times.

When I die, I suppose there will be friends and family who remember me. Hopefully their memories will be ones of kindness, compassion, passion for living well, and other positive attributes. I hope they will carry those same attributes and pass them on as the legacy they leave.

But should we live to be remembered? Is that the primary goal?

Count Zinzendorf was evidently a wealthy religious and social reformer of his 18th century times. His theology was Christ-centered, and he emphasized a “radical” lifestyle of “living for Jesus.” He is quoted to have summarized the goal of life simply as:

“Preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten.”

Live and love with one solitary purpose, to preach the gospel, not only in words but in the harmonious ways Jesus guides our relationships with others. LI’ve, really live all out for Jesus and then die with the goal of being forgotten. Really? Why should be aim to be forgotten? It is so that every bit of pride may be swept away. So that when people remember you, what they really remember is how God moved through your life, how he helped and inspired others through you. It’s the outcome that follow’s John the Baptist’s conclusion that “He (Jesus) must become greater and greater, and I must become less.” (John 3:30) It is Paul’s message to each of us to consider the interests of others as greater than our own, love without grumbling, and consider everything we do as unto the Lord, for his purpose. (Philippians 2:2-16, Colossians 3:17)

So while our prideful self wants to remembered and our name to be preserved, how much better if what people remember most is God’s goodness revealed in our lives. His ways are higher than our ways and so leaving a legacy of God’s great love is our most prized goal. May your legacy and mine be marked by kindness, strong faith, persistent prayer, compassion for the needy, wholesome laughter, and quality time enjoying time with friends and family. Long after your name and mine are forgotten may the legacy that lives on be one of faith, hope, and love.

Especially love!

Losing your life… And saving it

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Luke 9 tells the story of Jesus commissioning the disciples to advance his gospel and fulfill God’s calling on their lives. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.” (Luke 9:3-6) He continued, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” (V 23-25)

 

It’s tempting to think that was a single event in the history of God’s plan; that it’s different today. But is it? Aren’t we still called to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him? What does it mean to you to lose your life for Christ? I don’t know if it means we should all give up everything, but I think it means to consider it all as loss, even our lives and our ambitions. Otherwise, how can we follow in two directions (ours and God’s) at the same time? Following Jesus involves at least holding our possessions loosely, living more simply so our valuable resources can be used for the main event, the telling of His Story, the ongoing passion of his love.

 

When you attend a funeral of a respected friend, are you wowed by the mention of their awards and commendations, their great achievements, or their sizable accumulation of assets? Maybe. Maybe not. More likely, your thoughts turn to their character and the passion of their life that was invested in others.

 

Maybe today you’ll pause to consider everything you’re striving to gain in life, everything you’re pouring yourself into and piling up. It’s an opportunity to consider what’s really worth saving…and what’s going to get tossed aside one day anyway.

 

Jesus called his disciples to live a legacy life. It’s the call he still makes on our lives today if we call ourselves his followers. It’s not to live in comfort in the blissful pursuit of every pleasure. It’s living a powerful life freed by the forgiveness of God for the purpose of following in his steps to shine his light into the world.

 

God’s commission was not just for twelve men in Galilee. His call is for each of us today. Let’s live the call together!

 

Live a life that matters

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Author unknown. . .
Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else.

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to do lists will expire.

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end.

It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.

What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”(Galatians 5:22-23)

Two Views

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Have you ever noticed how some people appear to be so blessed with good health, wealth, close friendships, good jobs, homes and more? (It is indeed a dangerous and slippery line of thinking so we won’t stay here long.) But really, do you ever think that and ask, “Why don’t I have MORE?” (As if more of the world would really make us happier.)

And have you ever had God suddenly flip the switch of your thinking to consider, “Why is it that MOST the world has so very little? And so very much pain, barely eking out a meager existence at best with no evident opportunity to escape the bonds of poverty and despair? And why do I have SO MUCH?” I am free to live in relative comfort even with Leukemia, receive good medical treatment and access to safe and affordable food and water and shelter, worshipping in freedom, while other Christians are persecuted and tortured, even to death. It certainly gives us pause for consideration about our complaining and a prompt to give thanks for our blessings – every single day!

But is it good enough to settle with, “There but the grace of God go I?” Are the words of Isaiah meaningful to us today? “And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:10) And in chapter 61 (excerpts): the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor, to bestow upon them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, a garment of praise instead of despair. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from the darkness for the prisoners. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.”

Doesn’t that last image convey the message of a legacy based life? Whether we are focusing on the financially and physically poor of the world, or those around us who are bound up in their broken-heartedness, the image of our role in strengthening and encouraging others is a powerful one of real transformation. It speaks of our role in aligning with God to help others become oaks of righteousness, a planting for the display of God’s splendor!

What legacy do you want to leave? It is built in our day by day living and how we consider those around us and those around the world. Even if we think we have little, we have really so much to share and to pour into the legacy we leave. Live well today, friends.