Your Legacy

I recently read an article about how the Paleolithic artists produced the Spotted Horses on cave walls that can be seen in places such as Lascaux and Chauvet in France. What intrigues me is how, from the very beginning of history, people have been inspired to produce something of value that will out live them.

On some primal level of human nature, we are driven to communicate not just our individuality but also our worth.

I was here, and I made/drew/painted/sculpted this.

I planted the tree whose shade you are enjoying.

Because of my life, that young man is now a doctor who is saving lives.

I helped support a charity whose work rescued and helped restore the lives of hundreds of women caught up in the sex trade.

While here, I mattered.

This is my legend, here is my legacy.

Of course there have always been those twisted souls who decide that it is easier to say, “I destroy, therefore I am,” as well as those who choose to sleepwalk through life. You, however, know you have worth, as you were created by God. You know there is a reason for your existence, a purpose for being here. Somehow and somewhere you are supposed to make your mark on your world.

What are you doing that will continue on after you die? Where and how are you going to leave your mark? What and who has changed for the better because of your life and work? What legend are you creating that people will be inspired by, once you leave this world?

Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2012