Devotions
Life is about one’s legacy
A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children – Proverbs 13:22a (NIV)
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.
Posted : Jan 05, 2026