Devoted Blog

What Legacy Really Is

May 8, 2019

A Legacy Blog by Cheryl Monaco

If you were able to attend your own funeral, what is that you would want people to say about you? Most of the time, people that are speaking about you during the funeral service are not talking about how successful you were at your job, how much money you made or the type of house you had. The things that matter most are your character traits, your ability to have a positive impact in other’s lives, and what you did to make a difference in the world around you.

I looked up the word “legacy” and found a quote. I am not sure of the source, but it said: “…family legacy means the accomplishments, beliefs, actions, and guidance you demonstrate in your lives—that carry forward to future generations in a fashion which allow those family members to adopt and adapt them to make their lives meaningful and fruitful.”

While mulling over the idea of what legacy really is, I started thinking about the difference between “inheritance” and “legacy”. Inheritance involves the tangible things we want to pass onto our family, but I feel legacy involves the character traits or Godly traits that we want to pass on to our family members and those we love.

In order to leave a legacy, what has to happen? Obviously, we have to have spent time and emotions with those we care about. I love that in the quote above, it says that what we pass on should “allow those family members to adopt and adapt them (the beliefs, actions, and guidance we demonstrate) to make their lives meaningful and fruitful.” What is it that I can do to help make other’s lives meaningful and fruitful?

I feel that these three verses sum up the legacy that I want to leave my family and close friends.  “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25 (NIV)

Let’s break this down. “Let us” – not just me by myself, but let US (a group of people we are not on our own, nor should we try to do this life on our own). What should we as a body of people do? We are to hold UNSWERVINGLY. Unswervingly is defined as “in a constant and steadfast manner”) to the hope we profess. How do I personally hold on unswervingly when things get tough? I stop, take a deep breath, ask for God’s guidance, and try to think of scriptures that I can apply to my situation. I tell myself that God and I as a team can handle this! Asking friends to pray and believe with me are also important. Working on having a positive attitude and trusting that God will see me through as He has every time before is my next step. The way that I try to maintain a positive attitude is to wake up every morning and thank God for 10 different things that happened the day before. They have to be 10 different things each day. This keeps me looking for things to thank God for as I go through my day. This can be as simple as green lights when I am traveling and running a little late, to an amazing sunrise, to a friends phone call. This also keeps me looking at how God is involved in every aspect of my life.

It is important to know our hope and to profess this hope to others! Then we need to know that we know that we know that HE WHO PROMISED IS FAITHFUL!!! I need to be passing onto my family who God is, what His promises are and that He is faithful!! That is how we do this life well! Once we get this ingrained in our family, we need to spur them on toward love and good deeds. This is done by example, showing them how it is done, getting them involved in things that show love and good deeds. We are also to example meeting together (getting to church and community groups) and finally in encouraging one another.

These are the traits that I want to be remembered for and that I want my family to continue doing after I move on to my mansion in heaven.

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