Living for a Legacy?

This week marked the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy, and as I view the magnitude with which his life and death is covered by the media, I note that I have experienced only a handful of moments in my lifetime during which the nation as a whole honors and remembers the life of a political figure upon his or her death on such a large scale. I admittedly do not know very much, certainly as much as I should, about the life and work of Senator Ted Kennedy. Perhaps that is because much of his service took place before my life or at least during my youth; perhaps it is because I did not agree with all of his political opinions. Either way, I don't intend to comment on Senator Kennedy's politics, and I am in no place to comment on his life and legacy, but I have reflected upon the tendency for an individual's life to often be summed up by their accomplishments and failures. Senator Kennedy, like many other members of his family, was such a figure who was recognized and covered for triumphs as well as tragedies, and there can be no doubt that Ted Kennedy's legacy will exist in these dualities, in his moments of glory as well as moments of personal disgrace.

Thinking about how we tend to evaluate one another's lives based upon these extremes, I see that I often fall into the trap of living my life worrying about how others will perceive me or whether I will have accomplishments that will be remembered when I am gone. It is in these instances when I am reminded and comforted that my life is not to be lived for my glory but for the glory of God, and that my life will not be judged according to my accomplishments but will be judged according to the perfect righteousness of Christ. Despite my failures, and in spite of my small accomplishments, I do not need to be haunted or preoccupied with how I will be measured. Thanks be to God that the measuring has already been perfectly met in Christ.

As a believer, my identity is as a child of God...may I continually rest in that security!