Everyone leaves some sort of legacy. What will yours be?
In Ecclesiastes 2, the Teacher frets about this—a lot. He started to hate his job because his life’s work might be squandered by someone who came after him: “I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?” (verses 18-19). This makes him “despair” (verse 20).
However, as we learn in chapter 2, his view is limited. At this point, he isn’t thinking about the big picture.
The bigger picture is that even though many of the physical things in life will pass away, every person leaves some sort of a mark that outlives them. Since Jesus is real, and since eternity is real, and since heaven and hell are real, and since we all have an actual role to play as the hands and feet of Christ in the world, who we are and how we live matters to God.
Billy Graham once said: “The greatest legacy you can pass on is your character and your faith.”*
Isn’t that liberating? It’s not how rich or “successful” you are. It’s not if your name appears in a history book. It’s not about piling up a bunch of letters behind your name or having a million followers online.
When we focus on the wrong things it’s easy to “despair.” Just ask the author of Ecclesiastes.
So when it comes to our legacy, let’s focus on being like Christ, and on sharing his grace and truth with others. “The greatest legacy you can pass on is your character and your faith.”
Notes:
-*Billy Graham, Nearing Home (Thomas Nelson: Nashville, 2011), 119.
-Bible quotes, ESV.
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