There is a quote credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson (an American philosopher of the 19^th century) that says, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” They explain it as meaning that you should not necessarily do things the way others do, create your own solution, be creative and innovative. I like this quote, and I also like to think of it with a different meaning, that if you find yourself stuck where there is no way, create a new way to come out of whatever is holding you down. This brings to my mind some war tactics I have watched or read. I’ve watched many war movies and have always been fascinated by military tactics and strategies. There are times one camp finds itself completely surrounded by the enemy. There are only two solutions left for them: surrender and die in the enemies’ hands or create an opening in the enemy’s lines. The last one requires too many sacrifices and may result in many casualties, even total destruction. But the former is a solution of the coward that leaves behind humiliation and loss of dignity and freedom.

There are times in real life when we find ourselves surrounded by problems from all sides. Spiritually, you have lost your compass, when it comes to health, you are not well, financially you are bankrupt, and your social and family life is disintegrating. Here I’m not talking of everyday challenges or the common life’s tests and difficulties, but of serious problems, with the magnitude of a tsunami, that can determine life or death. People who will leave a legacy don’t allow themselves to be entrapped by problems. Whatever the cost, these people create a way for themselves and for others next to them. They are willing to pay the price with whatever means they have. These are people like Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks, Malala Yousafzai, and many others. They broke from strongholds of racial and gender prejudices, cultural barriers and abject poverty. Such people have this mentality: “if I do nothing, I will die for sure; if I try something, I might also die, but I prefer to die trying.” They don’t wait for someone else to create an opening; they go where there is no way and leave a trail. Isn’t this what happened with the four lepers in 2 Kings 7? If we stay here, they said to themselves, we will die, there is famine in the city; if we say we go to the Syrians’ camp, we might also get killed. But what is sure is that we can’t stay here for death is certain if we do nothing. There is no living without taking risk, our daily life is in fact about risk though sometimes we don’t even realize it. But as they say, if you risk nothing, you have nothing. For the four lepers, they had reached the dead end, and they did not have the luxury to wait for the king or the prophet Elisha to find a solution for them. They had to break through and find their own path. Their act of bravery saved them, saved their king and the rest of the people.

A man of God told me of the revelation he received about the statue of Daniel 2:31-32. The statue’s head was made of pure gold. He told me that God revealed to him that the human head is pure gold; it is full of riches far greater than any other riches. It is no wonder that the best computing machine ever made can’t be compared to the human brain’s capacity. God has put all the capacity to create, invent and solve problems in our brains. Don’t let yours sit idle, use it to create, innovate to find solutions, and leave a trail for others who will follow. Don’t rely on others to think for you, and don’t allow your mind to be trapped in a box, that is why they say: think outside the box. This is not a blessing given to some and kept from others, God gave all of us a head made of pure gold. The more you will use it, the more it will work for you to create new ways. Remember the parable of Matthew 25:14-30. The more we use what we have, the more it creates room for more to be added. 

The other day I watched a movie based on real-life events. It was about a woman called Erin Brockovich. The events in that movie were so touching that I decided to do some research on her. This was in 1990.  Erin Brockovich was a single mother of three, a two-time divorcee and had limited means of survival. She worked as a legal clerk in a big law firm. However she had no formal law education. As a clerk, she came across a critical case involving a big corporation sued by a community for water contamination. Water pollution was believed to have sparked many cancer-related deaths in the area. The case was deemed hopeless by her boss. Nevertheless, her lack of proper education did not stop her from getting involved in helping that community. She started by talking to the plaintiffs, did some research on her own with her money and compiled valuable reports. With her findings, she convinced her boss to take on the lawsuit, which they ultimately won. What started as an act of kindness propelled her to stardom, opened incredible opportunities for her, and she was eventually involved in other similar cases in her native US and abroad as a consumer advocate and environmental activist.

There is a reason why you are where you are at the moment. Whether you are a cook, a cleaner or the highest-ranked official in your organization, you have to be relevant because it is not by accident that you are at that place at that time. Being relevant means to be important, to be the kind of person others can depend on. Esther became a queen in a miraculous way, however it was not by accident or good fortune. The God who foresees everything had placed her in the position of a queen so she could save her people from total destruction. You don’t need to have power, money, or anything else; you need a heart that is caring for the people. If you care, God will do the rest; he will use what you have and multiply its effects. In Luke 10:25-37, we find the story of the Good Samaritan. It is a parable. However, this nameless and faceless man is known and respected worldwide and has been preached for centuries and across continents. What made him stand out? Only three things: he saw a problem, someone in need; he approached the problem, he felt concerned and was moved by compassion, and he resolved the problem with what he had. Just like the Good Samaritan, Erin saw a problem, people in need, and set out to help them with what she had.

Life is more than breathing in and out. It’s giving ourselves to others. That’s the secret of greatness, a life that leaves behind a legacy for others to follow. Unfortunately, these are the times where everyone is concerned with their own persons. None is concerned about the neighbour, at least when they can’t see any potential benefits of caring for their neighbours. However, you should know that the reason God put you somewhere is for you to become a solution to someone who may be hopeless without you. As the bible says, who knows whether we are where we are now to be relevant for someone’s else life? It doesn’t require much, just what you have. Like the angel told Gideon, go with the strength you have (Judges 6:14). God is asking each one not to save thousands, but to be relevant wherever we are, show compassion and be the kind of person people around us can count on. Mordecai told Esther, do not be silent, even though you are not primarily affected, this problem concerns you too (Esther 4:14a). I remember a leader who always told his subordinates that, “as leaders, you can’t be unconcerned.” You want to leave a legacy, an example for future generations to follow, then live “concerned.” In any small or big capacity God gives you, learn to be relevant to people around you.

I thank God for my parents. Though everyone should be proud of and honor their parents, whoever they are. I was blessed to have parents who invested in people. I was doubly blessed to have in-laws who walked in the same principles I was raised in. So many times, I met people who told me your father helped us in this way. Others would say, your father-in-law did this. I am really grateful; they set a high standard for us; we hope we will be able to imitate them. One day, with a colleague, we visited a community of survivors of the genocide against the Tutsi; we were accompanied by a man who was in charge of that support program for genocide survivors. After the visit, on our way back, the man told me, “I know your father; I waited to tell you because I wanted to see if you are like him.” To cut the story short, I got credited for more than what I did just because of my father.

A legacy or an inheritance is something you leave to your children to help them set off well in life. And the Bible says that a good man leaves an inheritance not only to his children but also to his children’s children. It does not necessarily have to be money or properties. It can also be a good name and good deeds done to others. These may actually help your children more than houses, lands and animals. They can be more valuable than all the material things you can imagine. I saw people I ’don’t know open doors for me that I did not deserve or worked hard for because of my parents. Billy Graham once said that “the greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.” However, though we like to think of a legacy positively, a legacy can also be negative. Your children may inherit the consequences of your crimes when they themselves are completely innocent. In the same way I had unmerited opportunities because of my parents, I know many who lost opportunities for the same reasons or have to work twice as much to build their own reputation. Therefore, whether you live well or bad, whether your deeds are commendable or condemnable, you are leaving a legacy behind you, and your children will reap the fruits of your actions, for life is about legacy.

Though our lives here on earth are short, we keep on living through our children and our children’s children. A good man should be able to look his children in the eyes and tell them, like Paul told the Corinthians, “Be my imitators (1Corinthians 4:16) or follow my example” (1Corinthians 11:1). He should be able to say, learn from me, the way I work, walk, love, pray, trust God, etc. This is a life that leaves behind a legacy. If you want to be that man (or woman), always ask yourself questions such as how do I want to be remembered when I am gone, by my family, friends or colleagues? What kind of impact do I want to leave in the community? Is there any contribution I made to my field of expertise? Are there any lives (other than my family) that I have touched? You can add your own questions as you think about what you want to leave behind. I found that by building your life around the four following aspects, you are living a life of legacy: be relevant wherever you are; always go the extra mile; create a path: be the solution; and live beyond you: outlive yourself.