A Matter of Time

Do you ever find yourself looking at your teenage kids and feel a tinge of sadness that you didn’t make more of the time you had together while they were still young? If so, you’re not alone. The majority of parents have a long list of regrets.

I don’t think there is a parent alive that doesn’t look back with some kind of regret and for the most part that’s normal. We often look back and think, “I could have done that better.”

Legacy is something handed down from one generation to the next.

This definition has transitioned to largely refer to the money that someone hands down once they die. However, this word carries a worth greater than any legacy of money.

For a believer, their legacy is their testimony or their story that will be passed down to the next generation and remembered long after the person is gone. It is the emotions that people feel when they hear your name. It’s the stories they tell about you as they tuck their children into bed. It’s the encouragement they receive during tough days as they remember your example and your words. That’s a legacy!

Each generation has spiritual memories, experiences, stories and values it wants to pass along to the next generation.

What is important to remember is that history can’t be changed, but the future can be made into anything you want it to be. Here’s a fascinating story from American history that illustrates the difference between our heritage and our legacy.

Edwin Booth died with a letter in his pocket that reminds us of how anybody, anywhere, anytime can use his or her potential influence to make a difference.

At one time, Edwin Booth was considered to be one of the greatest actors in the world. His career was taking off until a fatal shooting took place in April 1865. His brother, John Wilkes Booth, had assassinated Abraham Lincoln.

The stigma of that single act drove Edwin into seclusion and retirement. He knew for the rest of his life whenever anyone heard the name, “Booth,” they would think of John Wilkes Booth.

The family name had been forever tainted by his brother’s evil deed.

However, Edwin Booth's legacy turned out differently than that.

During a busy event in Jersey City, Edwin was standing in the train station near a young man who lost his footing on the platform and fell onto the tracks as a train was swiftly moving toward him. Without hesitation, Edwin risked his own life to pull this stranger from the tracks below and rescued him.

There was a brief exchange of extreme gratitude between the two of them, and the young man disappeared in the crowd. Edwin could have never dreamed how significant that one moment would become.

Weeks later he received a letter from Ulysses Grant's chief secretary. It was a letter of thanks for his heroic deed, because the life that Edwin Booth saved was Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln.

John Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln bringing shame upon the family. Edwin Booth saved the life of Abraham Lincoln’s son and brought honor upon the family.

Edwin Booth took Grant's letter to the grave, because it was a reminder: We may not be able to change our heritage, but we can change our legacy

When my dad was 27 years old, he was dating my mom. They went to church one night and after hearing the message that night, he went to the altar and committed his life to Christ.

My dad had no college degree. My mom worked her way through college getting a teaching degree with three young kids. They never made a lot of money. Neither of them ever spoke before crowds of people. Neither was publicly recognized for anything. Some would say they were as common as common could be.

I wonder how many times they found themselves wondering what’s the purpose of life, like most of us do at different times. We asking why we’re here or what benefit we add to world.

My parents raised three boys in the plains of West Texas who grew up loving and respecting their parents, learning to love the same things they loved. We fell in love with their God and made their God our God.

They gave life to two boys who became pastors and one who became a missionary. And within our three ministries, thousands have come to Christ.

Countless numbers of those converts have gone into full-time ministry around the world, creating an exponential number of people coming to Christ on virtually every continent.

To date tens of thousands have been transformed by God’s Word simply because of a common young couple from the farmlands of Oklahoma who lived out what they believed! Should they be labeled as common? Hardly! They are Game Changers!

That’s the kind of legacy that’s in front of us. We can produce kids who will enter every walk of life and impact people in their sphere of influence for Christ.

Everyone has a story. What will the story sound like when your children tell it? Make it one worth telling over and over!

Not all spiritual champions have a spiritual heritage, but all spiritual champions leave a spiritual legacy to the next generations.