The Legacy We Leave Behind

The Legacy We Leave Behind

Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

It’s been many years since my sister Katrina died of breast cancer—the year of her death coincided with the year my husband and I got married. With each passing year, I wonder if she is being forgotten by others who knew her, though I sometimes unexpectedly receive a message from one of her high school friends, reminding me that they still remember her. It’s a bit of a surprise since we moved to what I now consider my hometown when Katrina was entering her junior year of high school. With only two years left, it seemed like it would be a challenge to find good friends. But Katrina had a welcoming personality and always made friends quickly.

Katrina’s time with her high school friends was brief but sincere. And the kindness I have received from them in the years since her death brings tears to my eyes. Not long ago, I received a message from one woman who told me her daughter decided that she wanted to follow Jesus and that it reminded her of my sister.

“I find myself praising Jesus for your sister and how she pointed so many to the Throne of Grace! What a legacy she left,” she wrote.

I smiled as I read her words, reminded once again that God uses all of our lives, and even in death our legacy can live on.

It is true that a good reputation is better than wealth because it shows how our life had an impact on other people. Whether we realize it or not, we are all creating a legacy in the way that we interact with others, a legacy that can leave ripples of good long after we are gone. Katrina’s life reminds me that it doesn’t matter how long or short our time is with people, we can have a lasting impact on others by the way that we extend friendship and love to them.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Remember someone whose life and legacy has had an impact on you, and let one of their loved ones know what they meant to you.