Today is my first day back in the office after our trip to Tennessee to see family. While we were there, I was given my grandfather’s old recurve bow. When I was a boy, he taught me to shoot, and that was always such a treasured time with him. Naturally, I was very excited this past week to receive the bow he used.
It was always too big for me, and the draw weight (45#) was far too much for a young boy. So being able to use it now brings back memories—and a sense of fulfillment as a man (“I can now use Grandpa’s bow that I never could before” kind of feeling). I also went to a sporting goods store and got Alanna her first bow. Don’t worry—it’s a starter bow for kids ages 4–11 and has blunt arrows. So not only do I get to carry on the tradition Grandpa started with me, but I also get to begin passing it on to my children.
This brings up a thought I’ve often had: What kind of legacy will I leave?
That’s a question I learned from my Grandpa, because I often think of him and the impact he had on me. So what kind of impact will I have on others? When my children and grandchildren look back on their memories of me, will they be happy ones—or sorrowful? Will I have lived a life they want to emulate—or reject? Will I have passed on traditions and a way of life that they will be proud to carry on, or will they look back with shame and embarrassment? My prayer is that I will pass on to them a life lived faithfully with Christ, a life that pursued Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. A life worth living. A life that was not wasted. And I pray that they will live that life too, and take what I worked towards and build upon it.
But such a legacy does not start at my funeral. It started the moment I was born, and it is being built with every passing day, every single word I speak and every choice I make. A legacy is built over a lifetime, so if I am to leave such a legacy, it starts now with intentional effort every day with my family, friends, and those I love in my community.
Now let me turn the question: What kind of legacy will you leave? How will you be remembered? If you are not setting the legacy you want, then there is good news for you: you still have time! Confess your sins to the Lord, to your family, and to whomever else you need to, and start afresh today. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, and delights to give second (and third and fourth and ten-thousandth) chances. But you must make it intentional. One day your family and friends will look back on their memories of you—what will you have placed in their hands to carry on? What kind of legacy are you on track to leave?
Pastor Joshua
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