Living Your Legacy
In 2005 I met a wonderful woman in St. Paul, Minnesota who shared with me a tradition she had held dear for well over a decade. With a couple of her closest friends, every December 10 they would meet at a local restaurant, the same one every year, and each would share their “word” for the upcoming year. They would choose one word and hang onto it as their theme for the next year. I had never heard of that at the time, although recently I hear of more and more people doing that. But at the time I was intrigued. So, I began my own version of that tradition and have been doing it ever since. It is fun and meaningful, and I share this tradition with friends and family now, even gathering for a special end of the year celebration to reveal our words.
My word for 2022 is legacy. At first, I wasn’t sure how to be intentional about living out “legacy”, but as I prayed and listened, clarity came. Legacy is what we pass on to others when we are gone. That’s kind of heavy if you think about. I feel a responsibility with that word.
Focusing on legacy demands intentionality. For me what that looks like is first determining what it is I truly want to pass down. The characteristics, beliefs, mindsets, and even material things I want to leave with those I love. And then, with every decision I make, I am asking:
“Am I living in a way that what I want to pass on is being created?”
“How do I put the desires I have for my legacy into motion?
“Are the results of my choices what I want to pass on?”
I am asking the Lord to connect me with what He has for me to pass on in a deeper way, because we leave an imprint in the hearts of those who love us. Good or bad.
What do you want your imprint to look like?
Are you being intentional?
How can legacy be a banner over all you do this year?
I would love to hear!
Brenda Cox Harkins is a speaker, author, and coach who believes in impossible possibilities,
in the power of God’s love, in west Texas sunsets, good coffee, and in dreaming… again and again.
She enjoys connecting with family and friends – both old and new.
Brenda can be reached at brenda@brendaharkins.com and would love to hear from you.
