HERITAGE, DESTINY, LEGACY. Pts. 1-3

My son, Gary and his family from Georgia visited with us this weekend.

And I think, perhaps, I surprised him with one thing, one sentence, which I shared with him. At least, I managed to elicit a momentary, uncomfortable laugh, and wry smile from him when I said,

“I think about death every day.”

And before our short conversation reached its conclusion, I think I convinced him that such a seeming strange mental pursuit can be as healthy, as it is, admittedly, morose.

I often tell my young clients and interns that,

“You’re staring into a sunrise. I’m staring into a sunset.”

(And indeed, I am).

Not a day goes by that I don’t pray,

“Lord, please don’t let me miss out on whatever still remains of my destiny.”

For you see, if a stranger walked up to me on the street, and asked,

“What are your three favorite words in all the earth?”,

I would have an instant response.

“Heritage, Destiny, Legacy.”

We receive a Heritage

We fulfill a Destiny

We leave a Legacy

And as a result, I think about “the end of all things” on a daily basis.

Pt. 2

I have committed numerous scriptures to memory which have to do with God’s providential plans for us.

“My times are in Your hands.” Psalm 30:15

(and)

“The Lord will accomplish that which concerns me.” Psalm 138:8

(and)

“Before I ever took my first breath, You planned every day of my life.” Psalm 139:16

(and)

“Faithful is He who has called you, and He will also do it.” 1^st Thess. 5:24

(and)

“For it is the Father’s good purpose both to will and act in you according to His providential plans.” Philippians 2:13

Dear readers, I am convinced that God thought about you and me, as individuals, (and every individual who would ever draw breath) …before He made the worlds. Now, I’m not sure how He managed to spend a few seconds reflecting on each and every one of the 100 billion lives who would ever inhabit this planet, but I am sure that He did. But, of course, His very name infers such a capability, (and, by now, He certainly has had sufficient time to do so).

Speaking of our Lord’s mindfulness of every one of His human creations, I love a quotation which I discovered in the little volume titled, “Captivating.”

“You’ve heard that in the heart of every man, woman and child is a space that only God can fill. But did you realize that in the heart of God, Himself is a space that only (insert your own name) can fill.”

(Go ahead, insert your name, and read the foregoing paragraph out loud. I’ll wait).

Pt. 3

There’s a phrase in the movie, “Shawshank Redemption” which admonishes us to,

“Get busy living or get busy dying.”

Well, I tend to believe this is a pretty good idea, though I might change the phraseology a wee bit to read,

“Get busy living, but keep the certainty of death ever before you.”

For you see, I think as believers there is something healthy about this notion. Life passes in a blink, and for some less than a blink. I mean, my 35 year old nephew unexpectedly passed away last month. But even if we manage to reach 100, when our individual hearts have thumped out their respective number of pulsations, my friends, it’s over.

I suppose such a blog as this would mean little or nothing to those who are not taken up with the notion of Destiny, but as a man of impact I live every day with the sure consideration of my end in mind.

God help every one of us to get past the lethargic declination of that which must surely come to pass, and help each of us to break out of the monotonous pattern of waking and sleeping; with little or no substance in between.

And may we be taken up with the notion of receiving a Heritage, Fulfilling a Destiny, and leaving a Legacy. For it has been given to us to cooperate with God to the saving and blessing of those whom He has set in our respective pathways.

For there is nothing more crucial, nothing more integral except our relationship with the Creator, itself.


William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from (Mc)Donald's Daily Diary, Vol. 62. Copyright Pending.

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