Living for a Legacy?

“What is your purpose? What is the legacy you want to leave?”

These are questions J. Frank Harrison III, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Consolidated, often asks when speaking, leading training sessions, or doing interviews in his company. Speaking at an annual leadership prayer breakfast, he explained these questions concern topics many people have never seriously pondered.

Like the ripple a single drop of water makes
in a pond, our legacies can radiate a long way.

For lots of young people, matters like purpose and legacy seem irrelevant. Many of us tend to drift through life, “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind,” as James 1:6 describes it. We react as situations arise, with little concern about long-term benefits or consequences. But we begin to write our legacy from the time we can start making conscious decisions.

Leaders Legacy, the non-profit I’ve worked for over the past 15 years, began using “legacy” long before it became a buzzword. Now it’s used almost everywhere. From the start, its founder Dave Stoddard understood a life is best lived when guided by a well-defined purpose and directed to achieve a specific legacy. Our motto has been, “Building great leaders who build great leaders,” because the true test of leaders is not what’s accomplished while they’re in charge, but what happens after they’re gone.

A legacy isn’t something we select for ourselves. It’s the sum of our being – what we’ve lived for, the lives we’ve touched, and the difference we’ve made along the way. At the same time, leaving a worthwhile legacy doesn’t happen by accident. If we approach life haphazardly, without even a basic plan for a guide, our legacy will reflect that. As someone has said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”

I’m thinking of a longtime friend whose rich, enduring legacy was solidified years ago. I met Robert Foster in 1981, soon after joining CBMC as editor; Bob was on the national board, heading the publications committee. In Bob I found a man of extremely high character and integrity, a very wise and caring person, deeply committed to serving his Lord, Jesus Christ, and others. He loved being an ambassador for Christ through his work, time he invested in men and women to assist in their spiritual growth, and in the ministries and missions he was involved with throughout his life.

Bob, who at 92 recently entered hospice with terminal cancer, has been a sterling example of someone finishing well in life. Even after his 90^th birthday, he participated in a mission to China to tell people about Jesus. Whenever he was in meetings, he was an E.F. Hutton-kind of person: When he spoke, people listened. Because they knew what he said would be meaningful.

Without question, if Bob had been asked, “What is your purpose? What is the legacy you want to leave?” he could have answered without hesitation.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul also had such certainty. In fact, in an Amplified Bible translation of Philippians 3:10, he declares, “For my determined purpose is that I may know Him (Jesus) – that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and more clearly….”

As for his legacy, later in the letter to believers in Philippi Paul instructs, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the peace of God will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). Nearing the end of his life, the apostle wanted them to be continuing the work he had done so diligently, laid on the foundation of Jesus Christ. His actions flowed from who he was and the God he knew.

We see similar admonitions throughout the Scriptures: Moses entrusting leadership of the Israelites to Joshua; Elijah literally passing his mantle on to Elisha; David transferring the kingship of Israel to his son, Solomon. And especially Jesus, just before His ascension, directing His followers, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:19-20).

As His followers, we each should have a clear sense of purpose, as well as a vision for what kind of legacy we’d like to leave. If there is any doubt, it’s never too late to ask ourselves: What is my purpose? What is the legacy I want to leave? Then, once we’ve determined where we’re going, we just have to figure out how to get there.

Exercise Your Body?…What About Your Spirit?

Last week I wrote about the importance of physical exercise, for weight control and fitness. But while we talk about taking care of our bodies, especially in the wake of weeks of holiday gluttony, we rarely consider the need to exercise our spirits.

Each of us is a complex mix: physical, mental, emotional – and spiritual. The first three facets of our identity receive a lot of our attention, but many of us fail to give much recognition to the latter, if any. However, in Ecclesiastes 3:11 we read, “(God) has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” Like it or not, deep down – maybe in the recesses of our human DNA – God has provided an awareness that we, and this life, are not all there is.

So it’s interesting that as we resolve to work our bodies into submission, pursue intellectual stimulation, and strive to improve attitudes and relationships, our spiritual side suffers from neglect – to the point of atrophy.

As 1 Timothy 4:8 points out, "Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come" (New Living Translation).

Bibles today come in a variety of translations, styles
and even themes. There's one to fit any need.

That sounds good, but even as professing followers of Jesus we tend to think an hour of institutional church activity suffices for spiritual health. But it’s not about religion – it’s about relationship, getting to know the God of all creation who desires to spend time with us.

I’m not one that believes in ritualistically or legalistically reading the Bible each day. But we know from experience that to strengthen relationships – with our spouse, children, or friends – it takes time. The same is true in cultivating a strong, growing relationship with God. There is no substitute for time, ideally on a daily basis.

How much time? I don’t know – certainly more than a minute. Years ago a friend, Robert Foster, wrote a little booklet called “7 Minutes a Day With God” (it’s still is published by The Navigators). In essence, he suggested, anyone can set aside that much time – a couple of minutes in prayer, a few minutes in the Scriptures, and a few moments in meditation. The kicker, he noted, is if you diligently devote just seven minutes a day to doing that, you’ll soon discover it’s not enough.

Early in my days as a disciple of Christ, I also learned what The Navigators called “the hand illustration” to show how to gain a deeper understanding of the Bible. Each finger on the hand represents a different aspect: Listening; reading; studying; memorizing; and meditating. Through the years, I’ve found all of these useful, not only for understanding what the Bible says, but also for discovering who God really is – and who, as one of His adopted children, I am.

So as you’re thinking about working out to get into better shape physically, reading more widely to grow mentally, and seeking to enhance your life emotionally, don’t let your spiritual side suffer. You owe it to yourself!