Legacy

"I want to leave a legacy.  How will they remember me?  Did I choose to love?" - lyrics from a song by Nichole Nordeman


Legacy seems like a pretty big word and makes me think of what will last for a long, long time.  I think choosing to love is one way to build a lasting legacy.  Those in our immediate spheres of influence, particularly those whom we parent or mentor, directly observe our choices, our attitudes, our language, and our demeanor.  They see the passions that drive us and often follow in our footsteps, whether we would want them to or not.  A child observes gentleness and grace in a parent and grows up to become gracious or witnesses anger and resentfulness and learns to be bitter.  They see what we choose to give our lives to, for as Bob Dylan put it, "You Gotta Serve Somebody."  Are we pointing to God? To success? To brilliance? To money? To political power? To beauty?  To things?