Heritage and legacy are related terms. Heritage is something you inherit. It is something someone who preceded you passed on to you. Legacy is what you leave to or pass on to someone else. Both are important.
HERITAGE
As Christians, we should never cease to be thankful for our heritage. We have a heritage of faith that stretches back to the first century AD. Actually, it even goes back farther, into Old Testament times, as we understand the faith of Abraham, who believed God would fulfill His promise. His faith was counted as righteousness, as he trusted in the fulfillment of the promise of God, realized in Jesus Christ. Our heritage gives us strength, hope, clarity, direction, encouragement, and points us back to the foundation of our faith. Through it, we are reminded of the absolute faithfulness of God, confirmed by the testimony of those who have traveled our road before us.
LEGACY
As important as it is to remember our heritage, it is equally important to remember our legacy. We must always live with the reality of how our lives impact other people. In the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the main character decides it would be better if he had never been born and is then, granted the unique gift of seeing what the lives of those around him would be like if he had not. Through this, he understood the significance of his legacy and how his life had impacted others. We need to understand how our lives impact others, including those who have not yet been born. We all leave a legacy behind, whether one for good or for evil.
THE IMPACT OF HERITAGE AND LEGACY
When we forget our heritage, we lose a great source of wisdom and encouragement. We will fail to learn from the lives of others and their examples. It has been said, “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” Alternatively, when we neglect our legacy, we are prone to lose focus in our spiritual lives and wrongly think our lives have little or no influence.
Years ago, Christian musician, Steve Green recorded a song about the critical importance of heritage and legacy. It is sung from the perspective of the value of legacy, and is entitled, “Find us Faithful.” Here are the lyrics to the chorus of that song:
O may all who come behind us find us faithful,
may the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe,
and the lives we live inspire them to obey.
O may all who come behind us find us faithful.
Thank God for the heritage you have in the faith, and make sure the next generation can do the same. Don’t forget your spiritual heritage, and don’t neglect your spiritual legacy.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.