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According to an old story, Alfred Nobel picked up a newspaper one morning and read an account of his death. It seems a relative had died and the reporter mistakenly assumed it was the famed inventor. As Nobel read the article, he was disturbed about the way he was being remembered. Consequently, he resolved to use the remainder of his days to change that record.

Apparently, his efforts were successful. Not many people remember that Nobel invented dynamite, but most school children can tell you about the Nobel Peace Prize, and related awards.

A few years ago in a newspaper editorial, the editor referred to this story and asked a poignant question, “If you were asked to predict your own epitaph, can you imagine what it would be?” Now, there may be something morbid about that question. Life is simply too short to be spent thinking about its end. But occasionally, most of us wonder how we will be remembered.

I’m talking about legacy. Most normal human beings want to leave something worthwhile as they depart from this world.

But, in reality, only a small fraction of people in any one generation will leave anything that will long be remembered even by a small community, much less the world.

However, most of us desire to leave a legacy anyway. What then can we leave?

We desire to leave something that will remind future generations that this is what he/she contributed to the world. So, what then can we leave?

We take our cue from Jesus! For it is his legacy to humankind that over shadows and dwarfs all other combined legacies of humankind. And his legacy is not a marble statue or anything like that but a living active force.