April 2, 2011

Living a Legacy

Judy and I just came off of a wonderful couples retreat with other “marrieds” from our church family. The weekend was led by a splendid couple who have been married for 45 years with four children; let’s just say they have a bit of life experience under their belt and possess the necessary qualifications for directing a marriage enrichment retreat. It was encouraging to hear the stories of other couples in our church including their successes, trials, joys, pain, etc. I was overwhelmingly struck by how much room there is for Judy and I to grow in our relationship as I
heard these other couples share.

Most of all I was struck by the final talk our leaders gave this afternoon concerning legacy. Before today I am not sure I had given much thought to the legacy Judy and I could leave to our children and grandchildren. To me, legacy seemed like one of those old people words that you don’t worry about worrying about until your 65+. However, I think the Holy Spirit made it clear to me that we can start building our legacy for future generations right now. We can establish values and lifestyles now that will positively impact our posterity for Christ and His kingdom years from now. Silly me. Being so caught up in the present and everything going on I lost sight of the future.

A final thought I had concerning this business concerns receiving a legacy from those who have gone before me. Indeed, it seems that much of our culture prefers an anti-legacy path. We are conditioned to get out there and make our own life. Do what you think is best. You’re on your own, make it work. Granted, this may be a legacy of sorts in and of itself, but surely not a positive one. In my opinion, this grin-and-bear-it, make-it-happen- pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps sort of individualism cannot foster a legacy receptive environment. We’re often so anxious and focused on getting out there to do our own thing that we forget to look behind us and grab the baton from those who went before us and carry on the honorable things they worked to establish.

Thoughts?

The Mr.

1 comment:

  1. Mom here and yes, I have a lot of them. Thoughts that is. This post makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy at the thought that there may be some things of value that the Lord has allowed us to pass on that can be used positively in your life, yet sad at the reality that there is much I wish could be relived and rewritten. Then I am comforted as the Spirit reminds me that a genuine legacy will always include both until such a time when all things are put under the Lord Jesus Christ and brokenness and sin no longer have sway. Unfortunately, or maybe not, legacy is a trail that parents forge over time with children following close behind. How much easier it would be if sanctification happened instantly. However, maybe the Lord knew instant sanctification carries little temporal value, and just maybe, little eternal value as well.

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