Legacy Starts Now

This week, I received three chillingly similar prayer requests from three different friends. Each person had lost a friend this week to a tragic — and seemingly random — accident. The three individuals who died were all younger than me.

Such a shocking reminder of human mortality causes me to take stock of my own life. If I died today, would I have made a difference in the world? More importantly, would I have taken every opportunity to bring recognition to God?

John Thomas’ article “The Saint,” was especially timely. He recalls the tragic, sudden death of a friend and mentor. Thomas makes this observation:

Steve was in his mid-50's when God called him home. That's a little over a decade away from me right now, and today as I stood there along the riverbank, a word leapt into my heart: Legacy. I wondered, what will be my legacy? A great question to ask, and one for which we expect to have a decent answer when we're old and gray. But given that we never know when all that will be left of us is a legacy, now — right now — is a good time to think about it. Because it isn't whether I'll leave a legacy — I undoubtedly will — it is what will the legacy be?

This resonated with me. Too often, I live in the assumption that I have 50 years left, when in actuality I am not guaranteed my next breath. And yet those I know who have died young have left, and continue to leave, an undeniable legacy in the lives of others.

May I live every day as if it’s my last — my eyes fixed on eternity — asking, “What would my Lord have me accomplish today?”