Articles
Legacy
Legacy: “Something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past” (Webster Online). Our legacy is what we leave behind, the mark we have made on others after we leave this world. At his funeral Wednesday Jack Glover’s sons, Randy and Danny, spoke to his legacy that includes four faithful sons, their wives, and 14 grandchildren all of whom adored him. Bobbie was Jack’s godly, faithful companion for 53 years. He was an elder in the Paden City church for 35 years, and many credit the strength of their faith and Bible knowledge to Jack’s example, encouragement and guidance.
Funerals confront us with the legacy we leave behind. Although we may think more about our legacy as we age, we actually are building that legacy in the present – whatever our age may be. And a worthwhile legacy is not necessarily the goal of life. People from presidents to football coaches who are only focused on history’s favor are thinking selfishly, and that has a way of backfiring. A cherished legacy is a spiritual influence reflected in the lives people we have loved, served and sacrificed for.
In his elderly years the apostle John wrote: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 Jn 4). This is the legacy every Christian should wish to bequeath. Not a monument chiseled in stone but the character of Christ etched upon loved ones by our example and teaching. Is this the legacy we are working on day by day?
