Limits Of Legacy
You want to leave a legacy. You want to lead a life that makes a difference and leaves an impact. You want the world and those you love to be better as a result of your life.
For the most part, it is a healthy desire. In My Fame His Fame, I wrote about the value of a family heritage, which is a concept the prophet Isaiah writes about in Isaiah 38:19: “The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness.” A legacy and a heritage passed down from generation to generation provides strength, stability, and purpose. It is a good thing, and even a God thing (a positive legacy is proclaimed in Gen. 17:7, Joel 1:3, and beyond, and a negative legacy is referenced in Ex. 20:5).
It is safe to say you should aspire to leave a Godly legacy and heritage for your children, grandchildren, and for the generations who follow them.
Even so, there are limits to legacy. A heritage—even the best or worst of them—is anything but an automatic pass to a blessed (or cursed) life. You can surely think of numerous examples of this—someone who overcame a challenging upbringing or, conversely, someone who squandered a Godly legacy and heritage.
Why is this true? Why is it that God designed you to be impacted by legacy and heritage but also clearly implemented limits and bounds on that impact?
I challenge you this New Years Day: Stop right now and read Isaiah 43 to find the amazing answer. Seriously, click over and read it!
The chapter (you just read it, yes?) is full of acknowledgements of both the good and the vile that confront you. But in case you missed them, here is just a sampling of what God says about why He made you and why there are limits on both the good and the bad that come from your heritage:
“I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (v. 1).
“[E]veryone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (v. 7).
“[T]he people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (v. 21).
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (v. 25).
Did you catch it? Even in a world marked by evil and danger, the very purpose for your being is to glorify your God. He made you for His glory. He called you by name and marked you as His own. He instructed you to praise Him and forgave your sins for His sake!
We say it a lot here in The Equipped community, but your life is all about God’s glory! That is why there is a limit to the value of legacy and heritage. It is a blessing from the God of the universe if you have a Godly heritage, and you should be endeavoring to pass along a Godly heritage to those who follow you.
But God wants YOU! He does not desire simply an inherited faith or belief. He wants a relationship with YOU! He wants YOU to engage directly with Him in a way that brings new glory and honor to His name!
In the same way life is not primarily about you, it is also not primarily about your heritage or legacy. It is about God calling you into intimacy with Him for His own glory!
Legacy has its limits. But the glory of God is limitless and finds a unique expression as it moves through you!
The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.