To be painfully honest I have never really liked this word. One of my more prominent shortcomings is that I live mostly for the moment when it comes to my everyday life. I do not connect with a “mission statement” for my life or a 10 year personal strategic plan. In turn the thought of what one might leave for a legacy has left me cold as well.

But an impending, “milestone” birthday (which by the way I have cancelled) has collided in my consciousness with the recent funerals of Ted Kennedy and an acquaintance as well. The column written by Jim Wallis of Sojourners is a wonderful read when it comes to the subject of a legacy  http://blog.sojo.net/2009/09/03/faith-is-about-redemption-the-life-of-ted-kennedy/ I would encourage you to make sure you follow his advice and read what Kennedy’s son also wrote.

As I sat in the pews listening to the summary of a life well lived, words spoken about a relative of a close friend, I was also struck with the thoughts of the legacy we leave behind, regardless of whether or not we like to think about such things.

After the service I found myself, eating something and chatting with a friend about the same age as me. We found that we were both wondering what people might end up saying at our funerals. I admit this is a subject that only a couple of people facing an aforementioned milestone would be prompted to have.

The question was actually quite provocative and somewhat daunting. So much so that we decided that which ever one of us went first the other would stand up at the funeral and lie.

Seriously, if we have been paying attention at all to the principles of our faith, a reasonable legacy should prevail. Ours may not reach the level of exposure that Ted’s has and maybe the recalled list of our deeds will not have been that outstanding either. But I trust that through the journey we will have touched others in ways that will have brought lasting results.

I loved the title of Jim Wallis’s article, Faith is About Redemption.  

Legacy – he summed it up for me when he said:

“…..who, though sorely tested by adversity and plagued by his own moral shortcomings, found a way to overcome his personal flaws and pain to achieve extraordinary things. But (our names here) was even more than that. His life was also the classic Christian story of redemption, of being saved from sin by faith, grace, and love, and by being faithful to the commands of Christ: “As you have done to the least of these, you have done to me.”