Thinking About Legacy

The week before last (May 15-17) I attended the Urban Youth Worker's Institute (UYWI) national conference in Azusa, CA. The theme for this year's conference was "Living The Legacy." Each general session focused on a different element of legacy: legacy of faith, legacy people, legacy at-risk, legacy of love, and legacy unwritten. All of the messages were very inspiring. During the first two messages we were reminded of the hall of faith found in Hebrews Chapter 11, which Hebrews 12:1 refers to as the "great cloud of witnesses." We were exhorted to take the baton from the saints that have "ran the race" before us - both from the saints of the OT mentioned in Hebrews 11 and from historical figures such as Billy Graham, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. The emphasis was on us as the next generation of leaders to run with endurance, but we were also challenged to think about who we were passing the baton to. We were asked the question, "what legacy are you writing?" or "what legacy are you passing on?"

Part of my trip to California also involved spending time with my grandpa and grandma Clark. My grandpa is 91 years old. I discovered on this trip that he accepted Christ when he was 23 years old. His parents were not believers to my knowledge. So he was the first to carry the baton on my dad's side of the family. He has been running for Jesus ever since. He pastored 4-5 different churches over the span of many years, and he is still a man of God's Word. He has run well for many years. Spending time with him, and then attending the conference, made me think about the fact that he passed the baton of fatih on to my dad. My dad has been running for Jesus ever since he came to know Christ. My dad, in turn, passed the baton of faith onto me. I began running for Jesus at the age of 19, and I have sought to follow Him ever since.

During my visit, and since returning I have been thinking about who I am passing the baton to. Lord willing, one day it is my desire to pass the baton of faith onto my biological sons. In addition to any biological children that I may have in the future, it is also the desire of my heart and a huge part of my calling to pass the baton of faith on to spiritual sons. During the closing session of the conference we were instructed to make a list of those whom we were seeking to pass the legacy of faith onto. I have been thinking about that ever since.

In 2 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul writes to Timothy, "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." Within these two verses, Paul refers to a legacy of faith that passes through 4 generations:

Paul > Timothy > faithful men > others.

I am reminded then that as a follower of Christ I must have a "legacy mindset." It is not optional. It is a mandate - "Go and make disciples of all nations..." I have been thinking much about running with endurance and passing the baton. In the midst of this, God has spoken powerfully to me through Hebrews 12:2, and reminded me that in order to run or pass that my focus must be on Christ.

Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.