Living a Legacy Life

There are some people in today’s world who run so fast in building their lives, their families and their businesses that they don’t take the time to contemplate the reason why they are running so hard. I see it every day as I consult and coach leaders. There are others who are running away—whether through pleasure, medication, or numbness—so that they never take the time to confront that nagging feeling that there might be more. Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes pointed the way to a meaningful life: A Legacy Life. What is a Legacy Life?

In British English, the phrase “grace and favor” refers to a property provided by the government rent free in recognition of a person’s service to the country. Grace and favor are in fact synonyms and carry a similar core idea: free. Grace and favor are earned by their recipients. But they are free in the sense that their provision is not an obligation.

Last week, we lost a legend. Oh, you wouldn’t recognize her name. She was not a politician. She didn’t run a worldwide operation. She didn’t run a fortune 500 company. She didn’t even coach an WNBA team. Her name was Debbie. She was a fearless warrior. She loved God with all her mind, heart and soul. And she loved others. She provided grace freely and not just occasionally, but always. She was not a billionaire, a politician, a leader of a large organization or company. No, she was not famous with the general public, but she probably influenced more lives than most of the “famous" people you're thinking of. She suffered through many years of a cancer journey with a smile on her face and love for others on her mind. She cared for a husband who was extremely ill for many years and predeceased her. She left a legacy behind of people she counseled, people that she prayed for, and people that she taught God’s word to. She was not a minister, but a strong-minded, big-hearted, lady who loved God outrageously. I envision her running through the gates, full of joy, like a small child running into a candy store—where she came face to face with God. She understood, better than anyone that I have ever known that the grace and favor of God are free for us, and we should freely give them to others.

According to Forbes magazine, 31 billionaires died in 2024, leaving behind 207 billion in wealth. A man named Isak Andic was a founder of a fashion retail empire and he plunged down a ravine while hiking with his son. He passed at age 71. I’ll bet that you didn’t know that, right? He died a very wealthy man, but what was his legacy?

There is nothing wrong with fame or wealth, but it can’t buy our way into heaven. In Scripture, there is a story about a beggar named Lazarus who was carried into heaven when he died, while the nearby rich man died and went to Hades. The rich man had everything in life, while Lazarus had nothing. Yet Lazarus was included in the grace of God, while the rich man lived only for his wealth. Our status and wealth in life won’t gain us admission into heaven. Only faith in God will do that.

Much of our attention today involves finances. And money causes a lot of stress in life for those who have a lot of it and for those who only have a little. But no one has ever taken a single copper penny with them to heaven. We all need to make sure that our trust is in God alone. His grace is the currency of heaven. My friend Debbie knew that very well. I recently prayed with her. We prayed for her healing. We prayed for world revival. We prayed for grace, and in her own words, “grace is the understanding that God is a better savior than we are sinners.” And she said, "It is free!!!" When we finished praying, my watch buzzed like I have never felt before, and when I looked at the face of the watch in big bold letters it said, “DONE.”

Well, it is done! Debbie is healed. She entered the gates of heaven. Even though she has gone through some very difficult days in the last year of her life, I never saw any waver of her faith. None of us are perfect. We grow impatient and fretful. But when we realize that every promise of God is also a command and every command contains the seed of promise, it helps us trust and obey and find strength. She told me that as she was having difficulty dealing with the latest of a long line of chemo treatments that she has had. I admired the strength of Debbie. She was a model of strength, courage, faith, obedience, grace, and favor. Scripture says, “By faith Sarah herself also received strength.” So did my friend Debbie.

So, what is a legacy life? It is a life of meaning, value, and significance according to Solomon. It is life that matters. It is a life that lasts beyond us. Let’s jump into a journey of the Legacy Life. Let’s live as those God can call when He needs a faithful servant—like Debbie.