The legacy you are building today requires being intentional. Have you ever heard someone say they wish they could leave a legacy behind? Maybe you have stopped to reflect on how people will remember you. Chances are if you have, it’s because you witnessed a life that truly inspired you.

So what is a legacy?

A legacy is something we pass down. It’s your footprint, your impression, your contribution to the world. But who will tell your story after you leave?

People will. Every person who flowed through your life. Those that passed by shortly, and everyone that stayed a lifetime. They are the ones who will share your story and your legacy.

“Your legacy is every life you touched.”

When is a Legacy Built?

You are designing a legacy right now. Like a sower planting seeds for a harvest later on. Every moment you are conscious, you are building a legacy.

Maybe you are thinking, “I don’t care about the legacy I will have. I just want to live my life.” Unfortunately, whether or not you choose to, you are leaving something.

A Legacy Close to My Heart

Amid a pandemic, my mother-in-law battled stage four liver cancer. We are thankful that The Lord gave us more time with her than most. See, here on earth, she was a treasure. But in the end… He wanted her home with Him.

If anything can make you reassess your life, it’s watching a true Christian fight the battle of her life and STILL not waiver on her faith. To say that my mother-in-law has affected my life is an understatement. When I think about her legacy, it does something to the soul of me. My desire is to be such a true witness of Him that when my time comes, I would have a story as worthy as hers.

TRULY…. she was a walking testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ.

I am blessed and so grateful that I can call this true Christian lady my mother-in-law. I was nineteen when I got married and moved away from my home in Maine. We were starting a new life where my husband grew up in Kentucky. As a young girl, there were lots of uncertainties.

Why Certain People Come Into Our Lives?

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “some people come into our lives for a moment, a season and a lifetime,” it’s true. Every experience molds our lives in one way, shape or form.

To say she impacted my life is an understatement. Even this doesn’t feel adequate to give her the tribute she is due. She taught me how to be a wife, a mother, a loyal friend.

Above all, she taught me how to be a true, sold-out Christian. It wasn’t her words, but with her life.

She was a time-tested memorial and the perfect example of Christ living through His people.

Did she think about the legacy she would leave behind? I don’t think so. She wasn’t that kind of person. She just truly had an experience with Jesus, and it just showed through everything she did.

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. We etch a legacy into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.”–Shannon L. Alder.

Can You Choose Your Legacy?

I read this article the other day about ways you can leave a legacy behind after your gone. It talked about “leaving your mark” on history.

It made me stop and ponder.

Can you choose your legacy? I’m not sure, but we can decide each day to make intentional choices. Choices that may reflect characteristics of a legacy we would want to leave.

I think we all prefer to be remembered for the positive parts of our lives.

Choose to Be Intentional

Being intentional means doing something with purpose. Intentional living requires forward-thinking and daily decisions. As adults, we all have daily obligations. But intentional thinking allows us to choose how we do “all the things.”

New opportunities arrive each day to make conscious decisions. With intentional techniques, we can maneuver through life’s hurdles. Its little steps, and before long, you’ll notice that your behavior becomes more intentional.

• You are more self-aware
• Decide what inspires you
• Align your beliefs with your values
• Discover what brings you happiness
• Stand for causes that resonate with the core of you
• Create a meaningful life

No matter where you are in life, it’s these intentional decisions that ultimately bring a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

What If You Got Dealt a Bad Legacy?

The ones most affected by our lives are our families. What about you? What kind of legacy were you left?

Are you paying a price for a life passed down to you? Maybe it stunk so bad you felt there was no use to even try. Your last name was mud anyway you looked at it. What’s the point of even trying?

Everyone has dealt with the baggage of a past. Whether it’s our own or something left by relatives that they never resolved. The biggest reason for the change is this! Break the cycle and don’t leave it for your kids.

Only God knows the molding it takes to make something new again.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. – 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

The Core of You

What is the truth for you? To me, choosing to be intentional comes from the core. If you set aside time each day to reflect and unplug (that’s a big one), you will notice the voice inside is guiding you.

Today, we live in a world filled with noise and distractions. It’s all part of the plan to keep us from living our best earthly life. I love this quote:

“We are just spiritual beings called to live an earthly life.”

 

Ask Yourself These Things, am I?

• focusing on significance over success?
• pursuing peace and purpose?
• making people feel seen?
• making people feel more loved after a conversation with me?
• helping others with their purpose and to become more of who God wants them to be?
•  leaving my kids a legacy of loving Jesus and loving others?

So, what will you do with this short earthly existence? Choose to live a life of substance and be intentional. Above all, feel everything with love. If you can truly love like Jesus, what a legacy you would have.