Leader of the Band - Your Legacy
"An only child, alone and wild, a cabinet maker's son
His hands were meant for different work and his heart was known to none
He left his home and went his lone and solitary way
And he gave to me a gift I know I never can repay......"
In 1981 singer/song writer Dan Fogelberg released a song entitled “Leader of the Band” as a tribute to his father who was, professionally, a music teacher and actual leader of a college marching band. This is one of Fogelberg's most personal songs.
There was a man who had the unique opportunity of reading his own obituary. One day over his morning toast, he opened the paper and saw his name in the obituary column. Obviously it had been printed by mistake, but what really distressed him was the fact that he was remembered as the man who created dynamite.
He thought, “Of all of the things I’ll be remembered for, it will be my creation of something that is used for mass destruction.” So he decided to make some dramatic changes in his life. The man’s name was Alfred Nobel, and he went on to create the Nobel Peace Prize.
How obvious it is that our life does have a meaning, and we need to discover the meaning for ourself. And when we die, everything we own or did becomes useless unless it brought value and joy to others.
So, your legacy is all that really matters in the end. Did you help others? Did you give encouragement and hope to others? It’s not really about money – it’s more than that.
If you have a family, I guess you want to leave good memories for your children and grandchildren .. will you be remembered as a genuine, kind, caring and generous person? I think as we get older we need to make a conscious decision to love others unconditionally – it is so important, because we don’t know how many years God will give us to live. Hopefully it will be long.
Do we have convictions, and beliefs that matter? It was Thomas Carlyle who said “conviction is worthless until it can convert itself into daily conduct”.
I like what the Bible says about legacy. In Psalm 112 we read this...
“The Lord blesses everyone who worships him and gladly obeys his teachings. Their descendants will have great power in the land, because the Lord blesses all who do right they will always be remembered for their fairness they will be so kind and merciful and good, that they will be a light in the dark for others who do the right thing”.
Proverbs 10:7 says “Good people are remembered long after they are gone; but the wicked are soon forgotten”.
The old saying is true – “you can’t take it with you when you die”. When our lives come to an end, it wont matter how much was in the bank, or how many cars we owned, or how big our houses were, or whether we could afford to eat out in the best restaurants .. it will be “what impact did I make on the lives of people who God bought across my path?”
To leave a Godly legacy, we must focus on living life God’s way. Someone has wisely said, “The test of your leadership is not while you are living. It comes after you are gone. Then what will people do with what you gave them?” The way we live now and the choices we make today affect those around us. Our legacies live on the lives of others.
Proverbs 22:1 says “A good reputation and respect are worth much more than silver and gold”.
I think of the great people of the New Testament who died tragically because of their faith and belief in Jesus,those like the Apostle Peter who was crucified upside down. He felt he was not good enough to die as Jesus did. Paul the apostle was beheaded outside the city of Rome.
Their legacies are very clear, and inspirational, because they lived for Jesus Christ. They lived for His glory, not their own.
Lonnie...
