Living A Legacy: Influencing the Lives of Those Who Matter Most!
5 May, 2010 -
On a recent visit to the Martin Luther King Jnr historic display in Atlanta I stood amazed as I considered the courageous spirit of this remarkable leader. The child of a minister father and musician mother, King saw the injustice toward his people and resolved, as a young boy of 12, to some day do something about it. While we do not know all the people who spoke into his life we can be sure that there were many conversations that shaped this young man’s thinking, igniting and fuelling the passion that found expression in his famous, ‘I have a dream’ discourse.
I doubt that he woke up one morning and just decided, “I have a dream!” I would imagine it was a process. Do you have a dream? Something you are willing to give your life for? What experiences have shaped your life? Who has had a significant impact and how? Why do you believe what you do? What inspires you? What do you want to be known for?
Our stories may not be as well known as Martin Luther King Jnr but they are OUR stories and they need to be told. Our stories can motivate, inspire and influence the next generation. I wonder how many children would view the Bible differently if they heard our stories of God’s faithfulness alongside those of the people they read about in its pages. How would they view the older members of the church if they knew their stories? And what if they really gained insight as to how God has shaped our lives as parents, over the years, and continue to do so. I wonder if these stories remain untold because we somehow feel that they are not worth telling, not inspiring enough.....not enough! Never forget that our children have stories to be heard too. As parents do we allow time to hear their stories? Our children need to see authentic faith lived out in their parents, grandparents and friends.
Martin Luther’s discourse was even more inspiring when put into the context of his whole life experience. In the same way the things we want our children to remember are so much more compelling when put into the context of our life story. Our hopes dreams and aspirations. What a wonderful opportunity we have to intentionally invest in the lives of those around us by telling our story; parent to child, grandparent to grandchild, friend to friend.
“It’s not only children who grow, Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives. They are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can’t tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it myself.”
- Joyce Maynard
So often, because we find ourselves trapped in the demands of the moment, we overlook the opportunity to live out our dream. We wish away entire seasons of life, longing for the next one which promises a less demanding schedule and more time for ourselves. The reality is usually that demands get replaced by other demands and our dreams turn into missed opportunities and regrets.
Living a legacy is taking hold of the dream that God has placed within you and living it out in the context of your relationships with those who are around you. But…it is not just all about you. Great men and women of history have all had others in their lives who cheered them on when they wanted to quit, stood with them when others walked away. Sometimes you will need others to encourage you to pursue your dream, to hold the door open to enable you to walk through. And, other times, they will need you to reciprocate. In living your legacy, you can play a part in helping others to achieve theirs.
Are you living the dream…are you living a legacy?
“What I give to my children or what I do for my chidren is not as important as what I leave in them.” - Reggie Joiner, “Think Orange”.
