And I, I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus
And I, I've only got one life to live
I'll let every second point to Him
Only Jesus
The words to this song by Casting Crowns make me stop and think every time I hear them.
Our world says, "make a name for yourself". Even in Christian circles you hear, "leave a legacy".
I agree, leaving a godly legacy is a good thing. But this song made me think. Is my godly legacy something I should really be focusing on? Or should I be more concerned about Jesus’ legacy? The answer seems obvious.
I heard this song again yesterday, and it felt especially meaningful. Both Ryan and I have just lost our last grandparent within a month of each other. There's something hard to swallow about the finality of a whole generation in our families that's now missing.
We were both tremendously blessed with two sets of godly grandparents who had strong influence in our lives and our faith journeys. None of them set out to make their mark on the world. They simply lived lives of faithfulness to God.
While we'll treasure our memories of them, and special heirlooms that are passed down to us, what we can really treasure is the lingering imprint of Jesus they all have left behind—how Jesus' influence in their lives has spread to ours. Each of them, in their own way, despite struggles and failings, left Jesus' legacy.
Years from now, when I'm no longer on the earth, what do I want my daughter and grandchildren to remember about me? What's really important? Not my money, my things, my successes, or even my ministry work. Not me at all, really. Only Jesus.
My prayer is that, by God's grace, my greatest accomplishment will be that I was able to "step aside", get out of his way in a sense, and allow God to work through me to accomplish what I could not on my own so that my life points to Jesus.
And I, I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus…
We look forward to seeing you Sunday, in person and online! Join us as we kick off our Habit of Grace series.
Juli Dirks