Today I am thrilled to have Jon Stolpe offering a guest post here at The Point. While Jon and I have never met, I really enjoy reading his blog, Jon Stolpe Stretched.
Jon Stolpe is an engineer and operations manager by day and a Christ-follower, husband, father, blogger, gardener, sports fan, and runner all day every day. Jon blogs on The Stretched Blog (Jon Stolpe Stretched) about what stretches is faith and character. By blogging, Jon hopes to glorify God, process his thoughts, and leave a written legacy. You can follow Jon on Twitter or on the Jon Stolpe Stretched Facebook Fan Page.
Stretching to Leave a Lasting Legacy
When I think of the word legacy, I often think of the past. I think of the legacy that my parents, grandparents, and even great grandparents have left for me. They have all passed down things like their values and their traditions. They’ve passed down physical traits like height, looks, eye color, health trends, and even humor. And there are other physical things that have been passed down as well like: my grandfather’s stamp collection, a painting from my dad, old family pictures and slides, plates, furniture, and other knickknacks. These things remind me of where I came from and of people who are special to me. They have all done their part to leave a legacy – especially to their families.
What stretches me about the word legacy is the fact that it’s not just past tense. Legacy is also for the present and the future. Am I doing everything possible today to leave the best legacy for tomorrow? When I think of legacy in this manner, I begin to realize that I too will leave a legacy for my children, for my grandchildren (some day), and even for their children. I hope I’ll do half as good at leaving a legacy for my family as my forefathers did for me.
I want to leave my kids a solid example of faith, values, and traditions. I want to pass down all my better qualities. I want to pass down mementos that will remind them of me. Like my grandfather’s stamp collection, I would like to pass down my baseball card collection to my kids or grandkids. And I even want to leave them some type of financial inheritance. These things are great, but there’s really only one legacy that matters.
When it comes down to it, the only legacy that really matters is helping to bring people into heaven. All the rest of the stuff that is passed down doesn’t really mean all that much. As I start a new year, I’m considering what I can do to leave a lasting legacy. I’m pondering what it looks like to strategically put my kids on a trajectory towards heaven. And I’m wrestling with how I can more intentionally interact with people to encourage lifelong change – eternal lifelong change!
And now you can see, I’m stretching and striving to leave a lasting legacy.
MEDITATION MOMENT: What kind of legacy do you want to leave? What have your inherited from your family?
Are you interested in guest posting here at The Point on the topic of legacy? If so, please email me for posting guidelines. [email protected]
