Legacy, Inheritance and Today – Guest Post

A friend, Arlin Sorensen shared this in his daily e-mail. It speaks to exactly what we have been learning and sharing lately. There is no need for me to re-state anything. If you are interested in hearing more from Arlin all you have to do is e-mail him and tell him how you found him. He will add you to the list. His e-mail is Arlinsorensen@hotmail.com.

So often people tend to equate legacy to inheritance, but in fact they are very different things.  Inheritance is about stuff but legacy is about the person.  I love how he defines it in this quote.  Inheritance is something you leave. Legacy is something you place in them. When you leave something behind in an inheritance, they are temporarily happy and satisfied. But when you leave them a legacy they are permanently transformed.

The truth of the matter is that we need to be much more concerned about our legacy than the inheritance we will leave.  Sure, we need to make sure our wills and other financial areas are in place and protected for the next generation.  But legacy goes far beyond the time the money or stuff runs out.  Legacy can be eternal.  Inheritance are gifts received, legacy is values imparted.  Inheritance is a temporary reward, legacy is an eternal reward.  One day we all have to go and we can’t take anything with us. But we need to all live for eternity as that is the one thing that will last forever.  We need to first be sure our eternity is secure and that we have dealt with the reality of sin in our lives.  We will stand before God and give account.  We need to be sure we are ready for that meeting and that we have dealt with the things that will keep us from an eternity with Him.  Then we need to be focused on the legacy we will leave through others.  We all will leave a legacy.  It isn’t optional.  It happens because of the way we live.  We need to make sure we are doing the things that will create the kind of legacy we want to leave.  Examine your priorities. God wants to leave a legacy in your life. He wants to put value in your life. He wants to put something that is forever in your life.

The fact of the matter is that we create legacy while we live.  It isn’t something that magically appears as we pass from this earth through death.  It is something we create intentionally while we live.  So our life plan provides the foundation for our legacy plan.  As we live we are putting our legacy in place.  The people we touch, the things we teach, the moments we create, the love we share, they all go into creating our legacy.  Inheritance leaves behind a monument but legacy is a movement that continually perpetuates. Succession is a success that is continually going on. With a monument you just look at it and the weather can wear it down but with a legacy it is a movement that will never die. The impact of our lives can last if we make sure to do the things that matter while we are living.  What will your legacy look like?  How intentional are you today in creating your legacy for tomorrow?  If you died today, what would your legacy look like?  I’m not ready for that.  I doubt you are either.  We need to get ready because we don’t know what tomorrowholds, but we can know who holds tomorrow!