It’s how you finish

We wrapped up our One Life to Live series awhile ago and I thought it was a fitting end to everything that we have talked about.  We started the series about 3 weeks ago and tackled a specific topic for each week: Live, Love, Learn, and finally Legacy.  Tonight was no different from the other sessions in that I took away a lot of lessons and insights from the discussions.  We discussed in length what legacy we would leave behind when we depart from this earth and we thought about how exactly would we be remembered by the people in our lives.

The speaker talked about 3 things.  First is to live for a good name.  More than preserving a reputation, living for a good name is about valuing one’s self.  You may be known by different names but people know you for who you are and it is important to make a respectable and good value for your existence.

Second is to live for the next generation.  One does not need to have kids to be able to influence those that are younger than they are.  Most of our traits and mannerisms are acquired from our parents and our elders whom we see on a regular basis.  It is true that the way or manner that we do things at present greatly influences those who look up to us whether we know it or not.  Let us make sure that the things that we pass on to the younger generation would be something to be proud of.

Lastly is to live for eternity.  We may have invested much in our wants and luxuries but the real question is whether we have invested enough for the life beyond.  We tend to go through life like a race, always yearning for the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  We work hard to achieve the things we want and commit sacrifices for our own versions of success.  But at the twilight of our lives, when we look back at the precious time we have spent, would we be able to say that we have done enough to ensure our life’s eternity?  Have we spent our days right and strived for the good things in the Lord’s eye?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and enter.  (Matthew 6: 19-20)

Someone from our table shared a thought.  That it is not really when you start but rather how you finish.  We may have spent a few decades of our lives already but it is not yet late to join this race.  We can spend the rest of our days walking (or jogging if you prefer =) )beside that Great Guy in the sky and still leave behind a lasting legacy for everyone to see.

Photo from Thorbears