What do we want our legacy to be? When our time is done on this earth what is it that we want people to say about us? For me, I would want people to remember me as a person that loved the Lord, tried to live life the way God calls us to, had a genuine love for others and wanted to help them whenever he could.
I think it’s very important for us to ask ourselves these questions from time to time. When we answer these questions we should then take an honest look at our lives and see if that answer is true based on how we are currently living. We have to realize how important our time here on earth is. How is the way we are currently living our lives impacting others? What we do while here on earth we will have to answer for. Romans 14: 12-13 says, “Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.”
Each of us has a decision to make as we go through our lives, do we want to be a positive or a negative influence on those around us? That seems like an easy question doesn’t it? Of course we want to be positive influences on those around us, especially our immediate family and close friends. We can look at our lives and say I’m a pretty good person. I’m not committing any crimes and I pay my bills. We focus on those “big” things that everyone can see to determine whether or not we are living our lives correctly. But many times we fail to realize how the “smaller” decisions we make every day impact how people view us.
Today the Essentials For Life devotional by Pastor Rick Warren talked about our impact on others. The devotional really focused on the impact we have to our children. I love this quote, “You may not like hearing this, but whether you like it or not, you are being watched — all the time. If you’re a parent, you should be especially aware that little eyes are always watching you. You’ve got to be careful about what you say and do because you’re influencing not just your life but the next generation as well.” Parents out there, did you know the influence you are having on the next generation?
When we make the decision to have children, immediately we have decided to have a hand in shaping our next generation. How we raise our children? What we teach them about life and God? All of this will have a direct impact on future generations. Now think about that for a moment, what your child learns from you, the impact you have on their life, will have a direct impact on future generations. Do you want to have a positive or negative influence on the next generation?
I mentioned in a previous blog how I apologized to my son during my baptism testimonial for not always being the Dad God called me to be. To me that apology had to happen because I had failed. I had failed in my assignment to positively impact my son and the next generation. By not doing the things I knew God called me to do I was being a negative influence by showing him that it’s okay to go against God. At that time, I didn’t understand things the way I do now but that’s not an excuse. When I signed up to be a parent and bring a life into this world, I signed up to be a better version of me. I signed up to be someone my child could look up to and emulate. And that’s an important point, our children are sponges, and whether we are doing right or wrong they are going to emulate us because they do look up to us. And they are watching us to see how they are supposed to act and what they are supposed to do.
The focus is not just on the children though, we must also think about how our actions are influencing the adults around us. This is especially true when we think about our lives as Christians. Once we are born again and receive the Holy Spirit there is a way we are supposed to carry ourselves. Galatians 5:22-26 (NLT) spells it out for us, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things? Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. ” If we act contrary to what is written here, then what is that saying about us? What type of example are we setting for new Christians who may look up to us for guidance? What representation of our Lord Jesus are we giving to non-believers?
I love this quote from the devotional, “One of the biggest mistakes we make in life is forgetting how much our actions influence the people around us. Every day you are tempted to make decisions that may be the best thing for you but could have a devastating effect on the people around you. If you want to make wise decisions, you need to ask, ‘Will my choice harm other people?’ ” This calls for us to think outside of ourselves. We have to think big picture and take into account the feelings of others at times. This goes against much of our culture today but to become who God has called us to be we can’t always follow popular culture.
It’s not easy to live our lives the way we are called to. Many times we are going to have to make some tough decisions and we are going to be tempted to do the opposite thing. But God’s word tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT), “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
So take heart in the fact that God has equipped you to win this! God has placed everything within you needed to succeed in being that positive influence on those around you. You can live the life God has called you to live. One where your legacy will be a shining example of God’s love and mercy!
Truth in Love! ~ Chuck