In the aftermath of the scandal at Penn State University, the decision was made to remove the statue of Joe Paterno from its location outside the football stadium. Human history and tragedy is well known and prompted me to ask the question about my own life: “What is your legacy?” Have you thought about that? It is important? What do you want to be remembered about you?

The word “legacy” means, in its broadest term, “anything passed down from the past, such as from an ancestor or predecessor.” Most people don’t really care, if at all, about the idea of ​​a legacy until they reach the end of their mission or life.

Our lives are nothing more than a vapor, in the grand scheme of things. The legal system provides for those who create wills or living trusts to leave our earthly possessions to designated loved ones. The legacy we leave behind, in terms of reputation and spiritual heritage, may not always be what we intended.

As a Christian counselor, I see many people who are floundering in their personal lives and/or in their walk with God and often have no idea what God wants them to do. There is another group of clients who have spent much of their lives climbing the ladder of perceived success only to discover, to their dismay, that the ladder was on the wrong wall. It often baffles me to read about people in their later years leaving jobs or positions to supposedly spend more time with their families.

The spiritual reality is that our families need us in the formative years and it is quantity of time that they really need much more than so-called “quality time.” The fact is that your children have long since grown up and gone on with their own lives with varying degrees of success. I suppose “better late than never” might be an acceptable answer, but how much better would the results be if they had started earlier?

The Bible tells us that man makes his own plans but the Lord directs or supervises his steps (Proverbs 16:9). I tell clients that it is important to realign our lives with God’s word and order: Himself first, spouse second, children third, and ministry/work fourth. I think that if we are able to maintain that balance we will do well. As Christians, when we stand before the Lord, we all want to be praised and invited into the Kingdom (Matt. 25:23).

I think the Bible is very clear on this point: our legacy on earth, whether ministerial, business, or economic, is of much less importance than the spiritual inheritance we leave to those loved ones He has entrusted to us. It is never too late to start or change things. Everyone is ultimately responsible for their own choices, but God can take a small seed and turn it into a big harvest if we spread it around!

If you died today, what would people say at your funeral? Your spouse? Your children? Your co-workers? If that worries you, start making changes in your life today!