I recently heard a man that was counting how many days he had left until the average age of death for a man. I thought that he had a bit of a fatalistic attitude about life. Then, he proceeded to say, that he wanted to have an impact on the world, and that he only had so many days in which to accomplish the task.
Most of us want to leave a legacy behind when we die. Truth is, all of us will leave some sort of a legacy. We will be remembered by those around us in one way or another. I guess the question then is, what type of a legacy will we leave behind? Will the people that knew us speak of our life as a positive influence in their lives? Can we know what type of impact we are having in this world?
The Apostle Paul seemed to have a pretty good handle on the type of life he had lived before he was to be martyred for his faith in Christ.
2 Timothy 4:6-7 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Paul lived for 66 years, 32 of which he preached the gospel with his whole heart. He wrote second Timothy from a Roman prison waiting for his death. He seemed to have no regrets for his ministry, yet we know that he regretted the years that he spent persecuting those that were saved before him.
As we examine our life, we should be willing to take an honest look at where we have been and where we are going. As we look back, there may be some regrets, but we cannot change the past. As we look forward we should plan to make a positive impact on those around us. Family and friends could sure use someone in their lives to encourage and build them up; Lord knows there is enough negativity in the world today.
Let’s start today to have a positive influence on the people we come into contact with. Let’s begin to build a legacy that will last for many years after we are gone. Fight a good fight, finish our course, keep the faith!