I wanted to give you a pithy article about Robin Williams with some of his quotes, since he was one of my heroes, and - lets face it, that's what every other blogger is doing this week.
So I began doing some research on his life, looking for some great quotes about living a great life, or being funny, or something like that. What I found wasn't anything about life or comedy, but about death. And what he said was this:
It's an interesting statement coming from the man who is heralded for his amazing skill with hyperbole, but he's right. We make monuments to our dead. And if you're an artist, your work doesn't become really valuable to people until you're dead. But there's a problem with mythologizing people after they're gone - it's a terrible way to gauge the effectiveness of a person's life.
Right now, everybody's focused on Robin Williams' severe depression and suicide. But before you know it, he'll slip into that place in our hearts where John Candy, John Belushi, and Chris Farley live. We'll call him a genius of comedy who died before his time (and many people already are). And maybe that's accurate, but who knows. Robin William's true legacy will not be known by any of us.
And the same is true of you. Some day, when all is said and done in your life, you'll leave behind a legacy in the lives of the people who knew you best. And people will probably gather together to say some really nice things about you, but that won't necessarily be your legacy. Because the truth is:
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| Photo courtesy of Bago Games at Flickr.com |
It's an interesting statement coming from the man who is heralded for his amazing skill with hyperbole, but he's right. We make monuments to our dead. And if you're an artist, your work doesn't become really valuable to people until you're dead. But there's a problem with mythologizing people after they're gone - it's a terrible way to gauge the effectiveness of a person's life.
Right now, everybody's focused on Robin Williams' severe depression and suicide. But before you know it, he'll slip into that place in our hearts where John Candy, John Belushi, and Chris Farley live. We'll call him a genius of comedy who died before his time (and many people already are). And maybe that's accurate, but who knows. Robin William's true legacy will not be known by any of us.
And the same is true of you. Some day, when all is said and done in your life, you'll leave behind a legacy in the lives of the people who knew you best. And people will probably gather together to say some really nice things about you, but that won't necessarily be your legacy. Because the truth is:
Your legacy will not be measured by the things people say about you after you die, but by the things you do while you're alive.
If you're reading this, then you are still breathing and you need to to know that you're building your legacy right now, in everything you do. And no matter what you've done in the past, you have at least some time to build a great legacy.
Someday you'll stand before God, whether you believe it or not. And He won't measure your life by the things people are saying about you after you're gone. He'll talk to you about how well you lived your life - how well you loved your wife and kids, the kind of integrity with which you approached relationships, the diligence with which you employed your skills. He'll look at the life you lived, even when no one was looking.
He won't judge your soul by those works. Only Jesus' blood and your faith will qualify your salvation. But the greatness of your life will be determined by God according to the moves you made to pursue His will for your life.
Did Robin Williams have a great legacy? I don't know. I didn't know him, and I'm not God (a fact I have to remind myself of often). I loved his movies, and was heartbroken to hear of his death. But his legacy stands beyond our view, observed and judged by a just and all loving God.
Your legacy is unfinished, and open ended. So the question for you now is this - what will you do with it?
Question of the day: What was your favorite Robin Williams movie? It's a tough call for me, but I have to go with Good Morning Vietnam. You can leave your answer in the comment section below.
If you're reading this, then you are still breathing and you need to to know that you're building your legacy right now, in everything you do. And no matter what you've done in the past, you have at least some time to build a great legacy.
Someday you'll stand before God, whether you believe it or not. And He won't measure your life by the things people are saying about you after you're gone. He'll talk to you about how well you lived your life - how well you loved your wife and kids, the kind of integrity with which you approached relationships, the diligence with which you employed your skills. He'll look at the life you lived, even when no one was looking.
He won't judge your soul by those works. Only Jesus' blood and your faith will qualify your salvation. But the greatness of your life will be determined by God according to the moves you made to pursue His will for your life.
Did Robin Williams have a great legacy? I don't know. I didn't know him, and I'm not God (a fact I have to remind myself of often). I loved his movies, and was heartbroken to hear of his death. But his legacy stands beyond our view, observed and judged by a just and all loving God.
Your legacy is unfinished, and open ended. So the question for you now is this - what will you do with it?
Question of the day: What was your favorite Robin Williams movie? It's a tough call for me, but I have to go with Good Morning Vietnam. You can leave your answer in the comment section below.
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