Monday, November 22, 2010

Leaving a Legacy

I've been pondering what kind of legacy I will leave behind when I am gone. To many of us, the word legacy isn't something we associate with our own lives. Instead, it tends to conjure up images of Benjamin Franklin or Abraham Lincoln, perhaps even those like Henry Ford, or Donald Trump. 

To be bold, I would like to suggest that all of us will be remembered for something, and all of our lives will impact others. Therefore, we will all leave a legacy of sorts. Have you ever considered what yours might be? Or even better, what you would LIKE yours to be?

I have been thinking about mine, and about the 5 lives that God has entrusted to Ryan and I to shape, guide, and to light a fire in their hearts for eternity. I will only get ONE shot at raising them...only one go around...with no time for "I'll fix that later", or "I'll make it up to her next time"...there's one shot at this parent thing. To do all that is in your power to shape their lives with love, time, laughter, and hard, but needed lessons.

You see, I honestly believe our troubled American society will not be saved by billions of dollars being pumped into programs to help troubled souls. And, I believe that my highest duty to our community is to raise hard working citizens, that love truth, that honor duty, and who will help the weak. And, I believe that duty starts within the walls of our little cabin in the woods of north Georgia.

So that business I would like to start, or that hobby I would like to pursue, or country to travel to, if it keeps me from spending that time with my children, then it distracts me from the legacy I want to leave behind...those things will be there when my kids are grown...but I only get ONE childhood with them.

So when that business woman gives me the look full of pity because I am wasting my chances at a LIFE for myself by staying home with my girls, I will smile in my heart and remember that I am starting a revolution of sorts, by making sure I do all that's in my power to leave a legacy of love...because people are eternal.

1 comment:

  1. Yes! I totally agree! I love being home with my children and investing in their lives. Before we even married, before we had even met, my husband was praying for our children and grandchildren and that we would have a legacy that would impact the world for Christ. When we married, that became my prayer as well.

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