Leaving a LEGACY

Psalm 127:3-5 New International Version (NIV)

3 Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.

There are many things I love and cherish in life and I would have to say the top thing would be family. Being an alienated alienated parent there have been many things I have learned in this crazy journey.

Just about 3 weeks ago one of the most important people in my life went through a major open heart surgery; my dad. There have been many times over the past few years I thought I would loose him waking up in the middle of the night from terrible dreams or seeing his health fail, but I will say he is doing well and finally out of the hospital. He is one of the most amazing men I personally know with a wealth of knowledge and strength.

The other day I asked him a question. The question I asked was "If you had the opportunity to hand down to the next generation, before you died, what advice would you give about LEGACY?"

Legacy is far more than just passing down wisdom, talent and expertise to the next generation and it is certainly not about handing down the family business for the success of the family name. Although those things are good and noble items LEGACY is comprised of the 6 letters it spells out.

Life: What we have learned in our time on this earth

Eternity: What has God shown us about the past, present and future

God: How have we seen God and the piece we lived out in His bigger picture.

Achievement: How has what we done made and impact on others

Christian faith:

Did you run the race to win and see God's goodness in the process?

You: What other areas of wisdom would you share to define who you are?

I have been thinking about each one of these areas Life, Eternity, God, Achievements, Christian faith and You on many different levels and came to the realization that LEGACY is all about family and community. It is all about seizing the opportunity to impact the world in a way that when you leave it your children will see the epic firework of your life He has set off and desire to emulate what you have done.

I may not be the perfect Father, but I do know I am the exact father for my kids. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about them and pray for them and even long for them to be a part of my life, yet I have learned that as long as my eyes are focused on God and that I trust Him in all things that the LEGACY I leave that they will see, pick up the baton and continue the race God has scribed on their hearts and impact others along the way. As I have reviewed a couple things they gave me early on in this alienation process I hold fast to one important thing that I know is not absent of them....."I love you and miss you Daddy."

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

CAL