When we hear the word ‘legacy’, we tend to think of being left a sum of money in someone’s will. But a legacy doesn’t have to involve someone’s death. For example, when a business leader retires, or the leader of a country steps down, people might say they’re leaving behind a legacy for those who’ll follow them in that position. Think about somewhere you’ve left, such as school, university, or a job. How would you like to be remembered by the people who are still there? What do you want their lasting impression of you to be? We would probably all choose to be remembered in a good, positive way. So how can we go about leaving a good legacy behind us, wherever we go? The first thing we should do is to keep focused on God and allow Him to guide us in what we’re doing. ‘The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you”’ (Psalm 32:8 NLT). When we’re following God’s leading, we can be sure that we’re doing the right thing. It’s easy for us to wander away from God’s path though, so it’s very important that we talk to Him regularly and check that we’re still in line with His will. The second thing to remember is to always ‘work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people’ (Colossians 3:23 NLT). When we’re aiming to serve God through everything we do, we’ll have a much better attitude when faced with boring or unpleasant tasks. People will notice our attitude and remember it. And that might just encourage them to discover God for themselves.

What Now?

Think of a teacher or a tutor you had at school or uni, or someone you used to work with. What do you think their lasting impression of you might be? If you’re not sure that it’s positive, ask God if there are any areas of growth that you could work on so you can leave a good impression in future.