Leaving a Legacy

I've talked a lot over the past year or so about leaving a legacy. But, tonight it hit me that I have no clue what that even means. I was out exploring the city tonight and stumbled upon a really old cemetary. Inside were these huge monuments, most of which where from the 1800's. Some even had touching comments on them. In particular, the one that sticks out was to a pastor from his congregation in appreciation for what he meant to them.

But, the thing that gets me is that the monuments in this place are falling apart. They aren't being taken care of. I think the newest one I saw was from 1915, maybe. Nobody visits these people because nobody knows them. Very few people are alive who were also alive when some of these people were, and in most cases, it's been 100 to 200 years since they died, let alone lived.

And, if I think about this in my own life, I have no idea who my great-grandparents where. I knew my great-grandma when I was very young, but just barely. And, if I'm being honest, I have no real desire to learn anything about them, and we're just three generations removed.

So, coming back around to the idea of leaving a legacy, I have to wonder, does leaving a legacy mean being remembered? Really, I thought it did. I had imagined thoughts fondly remembering great-grandpa David as the man who set his family on a Godly path leading to countless people entering the Kingdom of God because of the family line. But that's ridiculous. First of all, that makes it all about me and how great I was. But, more importantly, I'm going to be forgotten. Someday, I'll be gone, and later everyone who knows me will be too. And what's left won't be my name. That won't matter. What will be left, however, will be the ripples I've created with my life.

Honestly, I want to lead my future family in such a way that the Kingdom is enlarged because of it. I want to bring great men and women of God into the world and disciple them. But my legacy isn't looking back at what I did. If that were the case, my legacy would only last a couple of generations and then it would be gone. But I want a legacy that lasts. A true legacy isn't about being remembered, it's about leaving an impact. Even if no one knows what left the crater, they can't deny it's there.

And I have such a short ammount of time to make that impact. I could be 80 years, or it could be 25. Regardless, it's not long and I need to get to work.