Legacy: 1: a gift by will especially of money or other personal property : bequest 2 : something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past the legacy of the ancient philosophers.

I’ve been thinking about legacy recently. Not so much the first definition of money or personal property but more of what do I want to transmit to future generations?

More specifically, how do I want to live the remainder of my life with that in mind? Not in a morbid kind of way that I am expecting to kick the bucket any moment, but more in the realistic notion that my days are numbered as is everyone’s.

What have I left for others thus far? Have I improved anyone’s situation? Have I enjoyed each moment? Do I have any regrets? Am I investing in what will last?

I think back to the many things I fretted and worried about over the years. Issues and situations that, in some ways, have all worked out. Some of the angst and drama was so unnecessary. I needed to learn to be content. And yet, each drama or angst has taught me about contentment so perhaps the experience wasn’t for naught.

Our family is going through some changes recently and some of the changes are not happening as planned. There is some waiting involved. This time around, in that waiting time when I could be filled with angst (some days I still am) I am trying to take each day, each moment, as it comes along. I do not want to look back and regret that even during this waiting time I was discontented and so missed an opportunity.

The opportunities are the stories we share with one another what we have learned. I think too, the opportunity that awaits us through learning to be content is tied to trusting the Creator with our life’s plan. When I trust God with my future, it becomes less about me, what I need to do or leave for others and more about God, what God wants for my life which is tied to God’s plans for all humanity. As the apostle Paul says (in so many words), less of me and more of God.

What about you? Have you thought about your future? Your “legacy”?

Certainly society is built on the legacy of the past. But as I was thinking of the “legacy” left by my ancestors- where is it today? Sure, I know some of the stories which tells about their character but after a generation or two, any of the specifics are lost. Just a smattering of what my family valued, believed in or saved is actually transmitted.

I think the legacy that we need to leave is the kind that is not about us, but all about God. All that we do should point to Him. When we become part of the bigger picture, we then become part of the legacy that God wants: reconcile others to himself and to each other.

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