One Last Thing

My posting today will be short and sweet. I'm thinking, as I begin, about legacy. There is much talk in our culture about the "legacy" that's left behind someone. A legacy of a politician, a business leader, a father, a mentor, a teacher... there are many places in which we can leave a legacy.

I'm curious, though, as to why we seem to conceive of legacy as such a final and parting concept. Yes, it's possible that what we do at the "end" (of a life, of a season, of a relationship, of a job, etc) may be important in its own unique way, but it certainly isn't the only place and time at which we can leave behind a story of who we are.

Think about Jesus. Yes, some of His final actions in the Bible are, of course, some of His most important (and He's still at work today!...but let's just go with the end of what made the pages of the Bible...). But, what if that was all that we knew of Him in His time here on earth? We'd be missing out on the stories of Jesus that not only instruct, but endear Him to us as well. Some of my favorite stories of Jesus are things that happened in His life along the way.

So, what does that mean to us? Well, I propose living today as a day at the end of which we can look back and look at our legacy for today. Rather than look at our lives, in wide screen, why not look at July 21, 2009 and say, "Now, what was my July 21st legacy?" Of course the old cliche crosses my mind: today might be my last anyway! But, really, why live life for the story at the end. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses today. We impact the lives of the people around us today. I would much rather have a non-descript "legacy" when I leave this earth while having a host of stories about the impact I had on a coworker or friend's specific day.

I think of those old bracelets, "WWJD?" What would Jesus do? Well, I think that He would promote having a big-picture view, a kingdom view. Yes. But not the exclusion of the everyday legacy. Plus, I think it's probably by the compilation of the daily legacies that lifelong legacies that matter most are made.