What Kind of Legacy Do You Want to Leave?

 One of my favorite songs and one that I have told my family repeatedly that I would want sung or played at my funeral is Nicole Nordeman's I Wanna Leave a Legacy. Perhaps you have heard it or maybe not.  Listen to it here.  Did I choose to love? Did I point to You enough to make a mark on things? Powerful words that we, especially as Christians, should consider every day. Making a mark on things does not have to necessarily be something big and bold. It could be small, quiet, but consistent. Just living our lives in front of our family. A timely card written to someone who needed the words written on it. Money tucked away in an envelope for someone in need. A run for your favorite charity. Bible verses written down for posterity sake. Spending time with a younger person and letting them glean from your life. There are so many ways that we can "make our mark" in this thing called life.

When I read the story about the British solder that left a large sum of money so that his closest friends could have a vacation in Las Vegas - in the event of his death - I was saddened. It seems that this 23 year old UK Marine took out a life insurance policy before being deployed to Afghanistan. There were three stipulations made in order to cash in the policy: that his family would be taken care of, $80,000 was to be given to a charity for wounded Marines, and $161,000 was for 32 friends to have a trip to "Sin City" on him. To celebrate his life.

He did sacrifice his life for "freedom" as a soldier. He is to be commended. And it is endearing that he cared for his family and even gave to the wounded Marine charity, but that he would want to be remembered with a huge expensive party in Las Vegas made my heart hurt. Perhaps he was not a Christian. I do not know. I just hate that the headlines of the news article, instead of praising this young man's life for dying as a brave soldier, cited him for leaving the legacy of a Sin City party. Click here for entire story.

Then there is my missionary friend in Nassau. For 46 years she has worked right alongside the people to whom God called her. She does not have a large amount of money to give them. But it is evident that she has given them something greater than money. She gave them HERSELF.

That's a legacy worth leaving.