Legacy

Finding value in life

In my lifetime of forty years, I have experienced many seasons of uncertainty.

I often struggled with thoughts of why I was born and what purpose I could possibly have. It took more than half of my life to find a way to channel that energy into something productive.

In the past, I would fixate on something or at times, someone that piqued my fascination.

Most of the time it would be a dream of sorts. There’s nothing wrong with dreams, by any means, but it can be disappointing to hit roadblocks time after time.

I had many dreams, from being a professional basketball player to becoming a world-class composer. The basketball thing never panned out, but I am currently a published composer.

There were other times that I would fixate on a hobby or an interest. Some of the things that attracted my focus were geology, video games, and various types and genres of music.

And yes, there were romantic interests that were completely unhealthy. As a teenager, I would sometimes “latch on” to a crush. Some of these crushes were reciprocated and some were not.

All of these things have one thing in common: they were temporary distractions from the issue at hand. I was always searching for my purpose.

The conclusion that I have come to is quite simple. Purpose can always be found in serving others.

It makes sense when you really think about it.

All of the selfish years that I spent chasing the things that I wanted for myself will not make any impact in the grand scheme of things. Even if I had achieved every single goal, it would never have been enough. I would have always wanted more.

Living my life completely for myself, especially if I had been successful in all my endeavors, would have made for a wild ride of a life and a great time, but those investments would have vanished with me once my time is up.

I’m glad I finally realized that it’s not all about me.

For the last eight years, I have dedicated myself to serving others. It is the single most important priority in my life and I won’t allow anything to get in the way of it.

Purpose can always be found in serving others.

By serving others, I create a legacy. Some day when I am gone, I will continue to live on in the lives of those whom I was able to positively alter. More importantly, though, I find purpose.

There are infinite ways to serve other people. It can be as simple as being there for people when they need you. It can mean volunteering at charitable organizations. Sometimes, but not always, it can cost you a little money. But one element that is always present in any act of service is the sacrifice of time.

Never underestimate the impact that you may have on someone by giving them something as small as a smile or a kind word.

I have lost much in my life, more than the average man I would say. I have been on the other end of those smiles and kind words, and I can say with the utmost affirmation that moments like those would brighten the darkest of my days.

If you haven’t already suspected as much, it was an encounter with Jesus that inspired me to serve other people. I don’t intend this article to be a sermon, but as someone who was raised in a church with cold religious people, it was truly eye-opening to stumble into a group of Christians that really loved people.

That’s the heart of Christianity and the way it was always supposed to be.

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. -John 13:35

Many of the acts of service that I’m involved in are things that I do through my church. So first and foremost, I serve God and by the extension of the commission, other people as well.

I am well aware that some of those who will read this could be put off by the mention of Christianity. I completely get that. I have experienced firsthand how mean and hypocritical some of those who claim the name of Jesus can be.

It completely blew my mind when I first met the ones I now claim as my family. I couldn’t believe that there were actually church people out there that were loving and kind.

By serving others, I create a legacy.

When the dark days came, the kind of days where you look up and wonder where everyone went, they were still there and stood by me through thick and thin.

So after years of searching, I was able to fill my heart with the purpose that I found for my life: to serve God and other people as well.

If you saw my life today from the outside, you would realize that I really don’t have much at all, at least at first glance.

But if you could see the treasure in my heart, you would know just how rich I actually am.

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. -Matthew 20:26

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Vince :)