Your Legacy Awaits

In his final speech to Congress before becoming president, John F. Kennedy shared the following words of wisdom. “When at some future date, the high court of history sits in judgment of each one of us, our success or failure in whatever office we hold will be measured by the answer to four questions:

“Were we truly men of courage?
“Were we truly men of integrity?
“Were we truly men of judgment?
“Were we truly men of dedication?”

Each of us must consider the life that we live and the legacy that we are leaving behind. Choices face us daily that measure our character and our commitment to live consistently with our highest values.

In Victor Hugo’s masterpiece Les Miserables, Jean Valjean is released from prison after serving a sentence that lasted several years. His only crime had been stealing a loaf of bread to feed a starving family.

Unable to find a job because of his prison record, he begins to think that maybe he will only survive by becoming a criminal, the very thing he wanted to convince people he was not.

Taken in by a kind priest, Valjean steals his silver and flees into the night. Caught by the police, he is taken back to the priest’s home along with the evidence. When the priest answers the door and sees the former inmate, the police and his silver utensils he begins to smile. He looks at Jean and tells him that he forgot the silver candlesticks he had given him.

He then tells the officers, “He is a brother, a child of God, and an honest man.” The police have no choice but to set him free. Seeing the second chance he has been given, Jean lives the rest of his life as a positive influence and a leader in his community, his life and destiny completely changed.

Statistics often tell us what is “common,” but each of us can refuse to settle for what is deemed ordinary. In a moment of decision we can defy the odds and choose to live at a different level.

Anthony Robbins states, “Most people’s lives are a direct reflection of the expectation of their peer group.” That means that other people can either elevate us or bring us down. In the same vein, our influence lifts people up or knocks them down.

Few people want to simply trade their time for money, working only for a paycheck. There is a part of us that longs to be significant and used for a fulfilling purpose. As life presents those opportunities in big and small ways, may we respond with lives of courage, integrity, judgment and dedication.