Serving to Leave a Legacy

Some people serve and go through the motions without a great, compelling purpose that fuels their reason for serving.

And then there those who serve with the understanding that they have an opportunity to leave a legacy.

We all want to leave a legacy of some kind. We want to know that our time and efforts helped the kids and families in our ministry.

What does it mean to leave a legacy? It means you make a contribution to future generations. You send a message to a day you will never see. You live your life through the perspective of leaving a life-changing message that will outlive you and will impact the future.

I'm sure we share this in common. We want to be able to put a stamp on the future. We want to know that our serving investment made a difference in the lives of others.

We must remember that leaving a legacy is not primarily about leaving money. It's not what you leave for the next generation. It's about what you leave in the next generation.

Do you want to leave a legacy? Let's talk about some specific steps you can take to do that.

• Determine what you want your legacy to be.

• Start living out what you want your legacy to be.

• Make decisions with your legacy in mind.

• See your life as a relay race. You are running your part of the race while holding a baton in your hand. You are preparing to hand your baton over to the next generation...the next runner.

“I saw myself as a relay runner. I would take the baton and I would run my leg of the race. And then I’d pass the baton to someone else. . . each generation tries to make progress knowing that what we do is not going to be perfect. . . but, hopefully, we’ve run our leg of the race effectively – and the world’s gotten a little bit better.” Barak Obama

Stephen Covey put it this way. "When people gather for your funeral one day, what will they say? What will they miss about you? What positive things will they associate you with? How will they describe you? What words do you want etched on your tombstone?"

Here are some simple steps you can take to leave a legacy:

• write a book

• give to the work of God with a cheerful heart

• be a good role model for the kids and families you serve with

• mentor some of the kids in your small group or class at church

• volunteer in children's ministry with the purpose of investing in children's lives

• invest in the next generation by giving money to your local church

• go the second mile in your service

• give your family and friends the gift of your time

• live for others

If you are serving in children's ministry, you have a great opportunity to leave a legacy. Serve with a purpose. Invest in the next generation. This will definitely put you on the right pathway to leaving a legacy.

Here are some quotes to encourage you today and hopefully help you to leave a legacy.

“Our days are numbered. One of the primary goals in our lives should be to prepare for our last day. The legacy we leave is not just in our possessions, but in the quality of our lives. What preparations should we be making now? The greatest waste in all of our earth, which cannot be recycled or reclaimed, is our waste of the time that God has given us each day.”

- Billy Graham

"Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate, you have not wasted your time, but have done your best." -Robert Baden-Powe “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.” -Chuck Palahniuk

"There are those who serve and then there are those who serve and leave a legacy, Determine to be that person." -Dale Hudson

What will your legacy be?