In life, everyone leaves a legacy. Sometimes, it's a a legacy that everyone notices, good or bad. Michael Jordan's legacy is that he is the greatest basketball player in history. Thomas Edison's legacy is that he invented the modern light bulb. Harriet Tubman's legacy is that she led many slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad, often risking her life. Al Capone's legacy is that he was a mobster, and Osama Bin Laden's legacy is that he was a terrorist.
Some people don't have such impacting legacies. Everyday, many people die as little known, blue-collar workers that just had average lives and average deaths. In fact, most of us have and will have average legacies.
While reading in 2 Chronicles the other day, I stumbled upon the legacy of a man that made me really think about my legacy. Let's look at it:
"Then Jehu looked for Ahaziah, and Jehu's soldiers captured him (he was hiding in Samaria). Then they brought him to Jehu, and they killed him. They buried him, for they said, 'He is the grandson of Jehoshaphat who sought the LORD with all his heart.' So the house of Ahaziah had no one to exercise power over the kingdom." -2 Chronicles 22:9, HCSB
Did you catch that? When referring to King Ahaziah of Judah at his funeral, they referred to him as the "grandson of Jehoshaphat who sought the LORD with all his heart." Wow! What a legacy Jehoshaphat had! This is not his funeral, but his grandson's. Ahaziah was a king, too. It's not as if Ahaziah had no legacy at all. Sure, he only reigned in Jerusalem for one year and was a sorry king that helped turn Judah away from God, but still. Jehoshaphat's reputation for loving and chasing after God was so strong, his legacy was so powerful, that he was mentioned at his grandson's funeral. In fact, it could be argued that the best thing said about Ahaziah at the funeral was that he was Jehoshaphat's grandson.
Isn't that something we should all strive for? To be known for generations to come as someone "who's sought the Lord with all our heart?" How amazing of a legacy that would be!
What is your legacy? Will you be remembered for your love for God, or do you have something else, something lesser, defining your legacy?
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