Leaving a Legacy

          “There is no remembrance of former things,
          nor will there be any remembrance
          of later things yet to be
          among those who come after.”
                                                   – Ecclesiastes 1:11
 
     It is particularly useful to consider that my life will not have the impact I had hoped in my self-centered egotism. I’d like to think that people will remember me, and that what I did will change the world a little bit and will last forever. I thought in my youth that recognition for my achievements and appreciation for the works of my hands would ensure my legacy. The only problem is that people may remember my works, but they will never know me or learn from what I did. My achievements may not make a difference. My works may not change anything. People will keep making the same stupid, pointless choices no matter what I do. So what is the answer? What meaning is there to my life?
 
     There is a difference in achieving success and actually changing human nature. Successfully being known and memorialized is a way to say, “I won at being a human.” Yet all this does is inspire others to try to do the same. The men and women of the book of Acts did not “win at being human”. They achieved no wealth. They achieved no personal agendas. They proposed unpopular doctrines. They lived unpopular lives. They didn’t achieve power. Yet, by God’s power, they broke the cycle as well as any person could ever hope to do. They didn’t learn from other humans how to “be human”, but instead learned from Jesus how to be God’s children. As they preached to others about Jesus, people’s lives were truly changed. Human nature was overcome. The cycle of vanity was broken.
 
     I have access to the same message and the same power that the people of Acts had. If I will just fear God and keep His commandments, my life will have eternal impact on those around me. The only thing that will matter when I’m gone is what I’ve done in service to God.
 

By Robert Harris and Jason Burke