I went to my wife’s uncle’s funeral recently. The obituary was much longer than usual, but quite appropriate as it described her uncle Ray to a T. Two things stood out about Ray’s life. One was that he was such a kind man. The other was what he said so often that people remembered it: “Have I told you lately that I love you?” And everyone said that Ray really did love. 

It got me to thinking, what will people remember about my life? What kind of legacy will I leave for my family? 

American novelist Dara Horn wrote, “Every person has a legacy. You may not know what your impact is, and it may not be something that you can write on your tombstone, but every person has an impact on this world.”

Have you thought much about your legacy? When your life is over, what will be said about your life?

If I could choose my legacy, here’s what I hope it to be.

• I want to be remembered as someone who loved the Lord and served Him with all my heart.
• I want to be remembered as someone who loved his family, and lived in such a way that they know how much I loved them.
• I want to be remembered as someone who is generous and kind.
• I want to be remembered as a faithful pastor.
• I want to be remembered as a friend to all.

I could go on, but you get the drift. I want to leave a good legacy.

The thing about a legacy is that we are the person we are remembered as. If I want to have a good legacy in the future, I must become that now. And if I am not, I must surrender anew to Christ so that He can make me the person I should be.