Legacy
When we hear the word legacy, perhaps our minds immediately think of an inheritance, a bequest, something left to somebody in a will. And obviously those are correct uses of the word. But the word has much broader meaning.
Legacy is not just about money, it’s about impact, an impression made – being an example.
In his letter to a young pastor called Timothy, Paul told him to live life as an example. The Greek word used there is tupos, a word used to describe a stamp that makes an impression in wax. We are called to leave a lingering mark on others for the glory of God. That way our lives will prompt enquiring questions, as people seek to know why we care, why we serve, and why we make the choices to live in obedience to Jesus.
Making an impression isn’t actually an option. We all leave a legacy, whether we choose to or not. Some lives leave a mark, others leave a stain…
J.R. (1840-1912) was an American Presbyterian minister and author who sold over two million books in his lifetime: ‘There have been meetings of only a moment which have left impressions for life, for eternity. No one can understand that mysterious thing we call influence . . . yet . . . every one of us continually exerts influence, either to heal, to bless, to leave marks of beauty; or to wound, to hurt, to poison, to stain other lives’1
Legacy is not just about what we leave when we’re old, or when we die, and it’s not just about a life – it can be a moment, an action, a word spoken that leaves a lingering mark.
1) https://www.azquotes.com/quote/673665#google_vignette