Purpose and Legacy

 

     Two of the most important things that we can live for in life are purpose and legacy. Purpose is about finding what you can do on earth to serve others. Our legacy is how we will be remember for living out our purpose.
     First I want to look at scripture to help us see what purpose is.
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? 18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. 27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

Lets take a look at this segment of scripture from 1 Cor. 12: 12-27. The segment relates the church (body of believers) to the human body. Just like every part of our body has it’s own function and responsibilities for our individual bodies, so does every believer have a responsibility for the entire body of Christ. On your body, your eyes can’t pick up something like your hands do, but is either one less important? No. As with people, a doctor can’t fix a car like a mechanic can, but we need both of them. When it comes to purpose I think a lot of us overthink it at times. We think that we have to be on some grand stage to live out the purpose that God has intended for us. We chase after money and degrees to do what we feel is our purpose. Purpose is simple though. There’s purpose in everything. Being a mother or father has purpose. Being a janitor or secretary has purpose. Being a school bus driver has purpose. Try being a CEO of a company and every time you run out of ink for your computer or you have to schedule meetings that you have to do the job of the secretary or the janitor. Or try to be a surgeon and you have to provide the care of a RN or CNA as well. How would you get your groceries if a truck driver didn’t deliver it to the store?  I’ve never seen a quarterback catch his own passes and protect his own blindside. Everyone in this world is needed to make the next person’s job easier. Imagine being a full-time student, full-time employee, wife, mother, and have to cook for your family everyday. That worker at the fast food restaurant is making your life easier for you by providing a convenient meal. I'm glad that I've been able to find purpose in the last few jobs that I've had. As a school teacher, my job was to give students the knowledge needed to become productive citizens and help shape their character. As a truck driver, I'm responsible for getting goods to people so that they can focus on using them instead of having to travel to pick them up themselves. Purpose is nothing more than using your abilities and actions to serve others. God receives glory in whatever we do when this is the goal of our actions. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you’re a teacher, garbage man, waitress, etc. The main thing is to love what you do, because no matter how insignificant it may seem, your job is very important. Purpose isn’t about being the richest or the most well-known. It’s about love for God through serving others. Most of all find something that you’re passionate about. Find out what you’re great at doing or see what needs you can fill in your community. You will succeed, even if not by man’s standards but God’s, if you seek that He gets the glory. In verses 22-27 we see how by honoring even the most insignificant parts of the body (professions) we can remain humble. What we see as less glamorous or less important, God sees as more valuable. This should keep us from looking down on anyone and help us appreciate the knowledge and abilities that everyone offers to serve the whole. We’re all important to the body. We should suffer with those who suffer and rejoice with those who rejoice. Believers are in this world together - there’s no such thing as private or individualistic Christianity. We shouldn’t stop with enjoying only our own relationship with God; we need to get involved in the lives of others.

In Proverbs 13:22, King Solomon wrote: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” A grandchild’s inheritance, which is the grandparent’s legacy, was important enough for the wisest man in the world to mention. But what do these words mean for you and me? To find an answer to this question, we need to carefully think about what we’ll leave behind once we meet God face to face, especially if we have grandkids. After all, what we pass along to them might have an impact not only in their lives but also the lives of their children and grandchildren. Legacy is something that we rarely think about. “All too often people tend to think of their legacy in terms of money. That’s an unfortunate mistake. Consider what Proverbs has to say on the subject (13:22), along with the words of Jesus and Paul concerning true wealth (Matthew 6:19, 20; 1 Timothy 6:6-10). When we read these verses together, we realize it’s better to build healthy values, virtues and character in our kids and grandkids than load them down with material possessions.” Some of the greatest gifts that we can leave behind for our descendants, besides material things, are wisdom and a good example of how to live. We should want to be remember as someone who lived life purposefully, we were willing to serve others, and that we sought God with all of our heart. I believe that we’ll leave behind a great legacy if we focus on living a purposeful life. It’s not something that should cause us to be prideful, but we should live in a way that will make those admire our Godly character. To leave a legacy is to leave the people you meet and the places you go a little better than you found them.

“Many men will likely say that their children are their greatest legacy. And that’s fantastic. But I believe men have an innate desire to leave a legacy that touches the broader world around them as well. Actually, the comparison between children and creating value in the world is quite apt. They both involve a man’s seed. With the former, a man’s reproductive seed, thousands of sperm fight to reach the egg, but only one will find purchase. With the latter, a man’s productive seed, thousands of attempts to create value in the world may end up on barren soil, but a few will hit the mark and sprout new life. Thus, every man should be a Johnny Appleseed of sorts, scattering their seeds of creation wherever they go, and being content to know that the seeds may not bear fruit until long after they have moved on. It requires patience, and a sort of faith, a faith in the idea that we have not lived in vain, that the world is a little different from our being here.” ~ Brett

     I hope that someone was able to realize how important what they do is to the body of Christ. Paul emphasized the importance of each church member. If a seemingly insignificant part is taken away, the whole body becomes less effective. Thinking that your gift is more important than someone else’s is an expression of spiritual pride. We shouldn’t look down on those who seem unimportant, and we shouldn’t be jealous of others who have impressive gifts. Instead, we should use the gifts we have been given and encourage others to use theirs. If we don’t, the body of believers will be less effective. Know that no matter what you do or what you aspire to do, just keep God’s glory as the focus and it will be successful. Think about your legacy. When it’s all said and done, I hope to see my legacy lived out in my children, and their children, and their children. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that I have the opportunity to shape future generations, not necessarily through things I post on social media, but through something as simple as loving my God and hopefully someday my wife, thus showing my family what it looks like to seek God in their lives and relationships.

     The truth is, many of us believe that in order to change the world we have to be famous or celebrated. We believe we have to be authors or athletes or have people shout our names in auditoriums with large gatherings of people. But what if God’s plan for you is to be simply the best husband or wife, mom or dad, soup kitchen volunteer or after-school tutor you can be? What if God’s plan is for you to break a cycle of abuse or addiction in your family, to set a new course for future generations, to be hope to the hopeless or to love someone others would consider unlovable? That’s not too bad of a legacy to leave, if you ask me.