My Legacy

"For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it." Ecclesiastes 2:21

Solomon is reflecting on his life. There is no doubt he was a great man who God honored and blessed. He's thinking about having to leave everything to the people coming after him and realizes that they would probably lose it all, and they do.

I had a friend named Jimmy who was very successful. He worked hard and invested wisely. Jimmy owned a sawmill and much of the property in the town he lived in. His sons grew up with money and liked that lifestyle. When Jimmy died, his children inherited everything but the knowledge of how to maintain and build on what they were given. They wound up selling off everything in order to maintain their standard of living. It wasn't long before everything was gone.

I have thought about this wondering what I am leaving the next generations. There is an old hymn that goes, "On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." My legacy is a life lived in Christ, plain and simple.

By Rick “Papa” Wilson