Legacy

What do you want to leave behind when your life is complete, and what do you want to take with you? Who do you want to be remembered as, and what do you want to be remembered for?

This past weekend, Sarah and I toured wine country in Napa, California. It was our first time touring the vineyards and experiencing the fullness of an area so incredibly rich with history, character, and lots and lots of vino.

During the first stop of our adventure, we met an elderly woman from Tennessee. Her name was Donna. We immediately noticed Donna sitting alone on a bench outside the vineyard, waiting for the tour to begin. We began talking with her, and she immediately opened up to Sarah, as well as sharing with both of us about her other stops on her own Napa adventure. She highlighted places that she had really enjoyed and recommended we check out on our own schedule. The conversation was organic and full of life. We were quickly taken aback by how sweet she was, as well as her keen sense of humor. She had such a refreshing honesty, coupled with a distinct gentleness that comes from years and years of being kind without trying to.

Towards the end of our tour, Donna shared with us the reason for her solo journey around Napa. This experience for her was actually originally intended to be a bucket list vacation with her husband. Sadly, he had passed away only a few months prior, and they were not able to complete the travel before his passing. As the last item on their bucket list, Donna decided to make the trip happen on her own, following the exact same itinerary that she and her late husband had planned together. It was so moving, a real-life love story and fulfillment of a promise. Sarah and I were eventually able to learn her favorite wine from the tasting, and we bought her a bottle of it to commemorate the moment and the memory that she was making in honor of her husband. Then, we snatched this picture below.

As we left Donna with a hug and some smiles, we immediately began talking together about her story and her kindness, but also her commitment to her husband’s legacy.

You see, legacy is this word often misunderstood as this thing that only a few very powerful, wealthy, and influential people are able to leave behind. We can point to the legacies of world leaders, social advocates, business moguls, entertainers, and professional athletes. We write about them in our history books. But legacy, by definition, simply means “anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor.”

For Donna, a part of her husband’s legacy was clearly his love for life, for travel, for new experiences, and having new adventures. Another part of his legacy, more notably, was he and his wife’s love for each other and their commitment to living it out, even beyond life itself.

This hits me hard. What am I living for now while I’m here? Is it my job? Is it money? Is it fame or recognition? Or is it my family? Is it my wife; my children; building a home and community centered on unconditional and sacrificial love; traveling and experiencing new adventures and new cultures; dreaming new dreams; fulfilling promises?

Regardless of what faith you subscribe to (or maybe none at all), most of us agree that we only get one shot on this planet and in these bodies that we find ourselves in. I believe that in itself is a gift from God- to take the blessing of being alive and using it to invest in what matters and the people you care about. Things and stuff will come and go, but a legacy built on love for others, love for self, and love for finding and fulfilling purpose is something people can carry on when we’re gone. It’s what others can actually embody and pay forward into countless generations not yet born. So are we making an impact, or are we just stock-piling a coffin?

People in the Church often get so wrapped up in the afterlife that we forget to live and have a life worthy of God’s grace to us. We are not saved by grace simply to fold and wait for something better. In fact, we should have an even greater understanding of purpose and making each day count. Yet even as a Christian, I know that I often ignore how much legacy matters. It’s not a legacy for self-glory or self-preservation. Rather, it’s Gospel-rooted legacy. How did I love others? How did I invest in people’s lives? How did I use my gifts to bless others and make a difference? Did I point people to something that actually matters? I’m wrestling with these questions in real time, lest you think I’m pointing a finger.

For Donna, she understood her husband’s legacy and chose to fulfill something that resonated with who he was and how he lived.

I hope for each of us that we may find similar ways to live lives that culminate a legacy, but that we would also honor the legacy of those who have gone before us by living into a purpose that benefits something greater than ourselves.

Proverbs 13:22 says that “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” I don’t believe this is talking exclusively about money. I believe that we are called to live a life that reflects our Creator so much so that the ripples are felt for generations, not for our own glory, but for the glory of what is bigger than any individual person or life.

Therefore, live your life with legacy in mind. That way, life becomes a means to a purpose rather than just a means to an end.