You’re Already Leaving A Legacy…Is It The One you WANT?
This past weekend our family helped my mom and dad move off the farm they've called home for 28 years.
And as I watched it all happen, one thought kept circling in my mind:
Legacy.
And although you may rarely think about it, the fact is…
You are building one right now.
Not someday. Not when you get your act together. Not when the kids are grown or the health improves or life finally slows down.
Right now. Today.
Every single day you are depositing something into the people around you. The question isn't WHETHER you're leaving a legacy. The question is what kind.
And that, friend, is a stewardship question.
Because everything God gave you… your body, your mind, your relationships, your faith… was never really yours to begin with. You are a manager of what He placed in your hands. And one day you will give an account for what you did with it.
That's not meant to scare you. It's meant to WAKE you up.
Legacy has more dimensions than we think.
We tend to reduce it to money. And yes, Proverbs 13:22 does say a good person leaves an inheritance for their grandchildren. Financial legacy matters.
But friend, that is only one dimension.
Your body is a legacy.
How did you steward the one body God gave you? Did you take it seriously? Did you fight for your health even when it was hard? Did the people watching you learn that their body is a temple worth caring for or did they learn to run it into the ground with terrible choices?
God laid this truth on me long ago: If God in His wisdom that goes far beyond my understanding “takes me out” of the race that is one thing, but if I take MYSELF out through bad choices, I'll have to answer for that.
Your children, grandchildren and others are watching what you do with your physical health right now. That's a legacy deposit whether you realize it or not. Is it a good one?
Your emotions are a legacy.
Are the people closest to you going to say you were a worrier? That fear ran the house? That anxiety had the final word?
Or are they going to say you had tenacity? That you faced hard things with grit and grace? That you modeled what it looks like to trust God when trust is the hardest thing?
Philippians 4:7 says the peace of God guards your heart and mind. That peace is not just for you. It's a testimony. It's a legacy.
Your mindset is a legacy.
This one is sneaky because it hides behind the story you've been telling yourself for years.
Did you model a fixed mindset…the belief that your circumstances defined you, that you were dealt a bad hand, that life was something that happened TO you?
Or did you model a growth mindset…the belief that God was sovereign over every hard thing, that nothing was wasted, that even the painful chapters were happening FOR you?
Because those two lenses produce completely different legacies.
A victim mindset says: "Look at everything I had to endure."
A growth mindset says: "Look at everything God did with what I had to endure."
God calls us overcomers. Romans 8:37. More than conquerors.
But here's the thing: there is no point calling us overcomers if we never encounter anything to overcome.
The hard thing that happened to you? The diagnosis. The loss. The season that nearly broke you. God was not absent. He was sovereign. And the people watching you navigate it were learning something about who God is based on how you responded.
That is a profound stewardship responsibility.
Did they see someone who got bitter or someone who got better? Did they see someone who shook their fist at heaven or someone who clung to God even more? Did they see a victim or did they see an overcomer? (EVEN if the circumstances stayed hard)
That's the mental legacy you're leaving. Every single day.
Your faith is a legacy.
This is the one that matters most and costs the most to be honest about.
What have the people around you learned about Jesus because of YOU? Not because of your church or your pastor or that one podcast you recommended. Because of the actual daily witness of your life?
Did they see you open your Bible or just talk about it? Did they hear you pray or just hear you worry? Did they watch you forgive or watch you hold grudges and call it boundaries?
1 Corinthians 11:1 says follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.
That is a staggering thing to say. And it's exactly what you are saying whether you intend to or not.
Listen, I say NONE of this to point fingers. I say this because I realize I need to pick up my socks in a few areas!! I need to be more intentional. And I’m guessing you need to as well because one of Satan’s favorite things to do is distract us from what matters most.
Wherever you are at, here's the hope:
It is not too late.
I don't care how old you are, how many years feel wasted, how many deposits feel like they went in the wrong direction. Joel 2:25 says God restores the years the locusts have eaten. He is the God of restoration and redemption and He specializes in turning complicated legacies into beautiful ones!!!
But you have to be intentional.
You will not accidentally leave an amazing legacy. Nobody drifts into one. Legacy is built on purpose, one faithful decision at a time.
So here's what I want you to do today:
Sit down with God and ask Him one honest question:
LORD, what did You give me to steward and what do You want me to do with it?
What did HE put in YOUR hands? And are you being faithful with it?
Because the farm will eventually be sold to someone else. The house will belong to another family. The stuff will be divided or donated or discarded.
But what you poured into people?
That goes on.
That's the legacy worth building. 💙
Hit reply and let me know what God reveals to you.
In passionate purpose,
Dorothy
Father,
I love You and I want to leave the type of legacy that YOU want me to.
I have not always treated my body like it belongs to You. I have not always stewarded my mind and emotions in a way that points people to Your peace. And if I'm really honest, my faith has not always been something people could follow.
Forgive me, LORD. Forgive me for falling short and so often doing things in my own strength instead of Yours.
Show me what You actually placed in my hands to steward. Show me where I've been careless, where I've been fearful, where I've gotten distracted and given up on the legacy You designed me to leave.
I don't want to accidentally leave behind a legacy of worry, avoidance, or wasted potential. I want to leave behind evidence that You were my greatest treasure!! That You were faithful. That You showed up. That following You was worth everything and that filled me with joy.
Restore what feels lost. Redeem what feels wasted. And help me be intentional with every single thing You've entrusted to me.
I want to hear "well done, good and faithful servant."
In Jesus' mighty name,
Amen.