My husband, John, and I recently experienced a wonderful weekend getaway with our children and grandchildren. It was a glorious time of fellowship, fun, laughter, swimming, sharing, good food, reminiscing and watching Grandpa chase little ones to “eat their toes” and tickle them; all of which allowed us to bask in the pure joy of family love and unity.

At one point, our daughter-in-law, Jen, showed me a book she had created. She told me this book was going to be a legacy and heirloom for their children and future generations, a way for them to know their Grandma Reta.

I opened the book, and as I turned the pages I saw copies of all the columns I had written for Living Stones News. There were copies of e-mails I had sent and pictures of me and our family.  The book was beautifully constructed and had taken many hours to create. Jen said she planned to add to it as my journey through life continues.

I was already in awe of the book when our son, Bo, said, “Mom, every Thanksgiving and every Christmas I will read a page aloud from the book.” Not only would this legacy book be a part of their family, but it also would be used to create a family tradition. I was completely overwhelmed by this expression of love.

Since returning home from this wonderful weekend gathering, I have given a great deal of thought to the importance of legacy. I realized that each of us leaves a legacy reflecting the life we have lived. 

In our younger years, we are consumed with the details of life: career, family, paying bills, etc. We realize we won’t live forever, but we are so caught up in daily living that thoughts of the legacy we will leave behind are rarely contemplated. 

Middle age approaches and we become busy with our children’s college education, weddings, planning for retirement, etc. Again, legacy seems far away. 

As we leave middle age and enter our senior years, many of us begin to contemplate how quickly life has passed. We look back and see our accomplishments, our failures, our blessings, valleys, peaks and the choices we made along the way. Legacy suddenly becomes important. We find ourselves asking, “Did my life count for something? Did I make a difference? Did I live the life I should have lived?”

For some, this becomes a painful time of reflection as they acknowledge past failures and sins. But the wonderful thing about life is that it’s never too late to create a new legacy. Today’s actions are tomorrow’s legacy. 

The greatest legacy of all is the legacy Christ gave us. Jesus lived a sinless life, yet died for our sins. He rose from the grave, obtaining victory over sin, death and Hell. He now sits at the right hand of the Father, offering a beautiful life to anyone who will accept His free gift of salvation. It is truly the greatest gift of legacy the world will ever know.

If you have looked back and now find it difficult to live with your past failures and sins, you can change your legacy. You can repent, give those failures and sins to God, accept His grace and move on with a determination to live the rest of your days honoring Him. The new legacy you create will bring you great peace of mind and heart.

May the gift of Christ’s legacy be yours this Christmas, and may the legacy we each leave behind in our own lives reflect His light and love.