Legacy Living

by Elizabeth Carpenter

Legacy living is a sacred promise, a covenant we make to ourselves and to future generations for God’s glory—whether it is in our intimate family, close friendships, or those who seek out our mentorship.

Our purpose is most profoundly expressed not by what we do, but by who we are and the legacy we leave behind. The question is—how will we live our lives so that we leave a worthy inheritance? Not necessarily one of great financial wealth, but an inheritance that money cannot buy—a legacy of the heart.

Consciously or not, each of us leaves a legacy, a trace of our lives here on earth. A goal in our lives should be to be conscious of what we are creating and of what we will leave behind as we seek to fulfill our potential as creative children of God.

The premise of legacy living is creative equanimity for God’s ultimate glory. We all have unique talents, special skills, gifts, and resources to leave a grand legacy behind and this is how God has designed it to be. We have a burning fire inside to be men and women of influence in this world and once this fire is ignited, it is hard to contain our God give creative fire.

When we align our wills with God’s, we bring our authentic voices forward and we bring forth our signature presence, which again include our unique talents, special skills, gifts, and resources. As believers we are to be stewards of what God has blessed us with and thus the central questions we need to answer are:

  • Who am I and who has God created me to be?
  • How is God calling me to create a legacy and for whom?
  • What are my signature presence—unique talents, special skills, gifts, and resources?

To fully respond to these questions, we must realize that like the air that sustains us, the covenant we have established in Christ as believers, is one that inspires our devotion to a life that is submitted and surrendered to God first and foremost.

We leave a legacy whether we are conscious of it or not—for better or for worse. God has granted us wisdom to creatively make a mark in this world, but it is how we endure and intentionally die to self in order for God to live through us and leave a legacy of a lifetime!

Legacy living calls us to keep our creative fire burning and to pass the flame on to those in our intimate family, close friendships, or those who seek out our mentorship. If we are sensitive to the leading and guiding of the Spirit we will find ways that inspire us to pass the flame on wherever we are.

Seek to live a legacy daily in which you choose to commit to surrendering to God and carry out the legacy which He has placed on your life; and given you the authenticity and signature presence that creatively expresses your unique talents, special skills, gifts, and resources—all for His glory.

< Back to Opulent Articles Liz's Blog >