Family legacyDefining family legacy is part of our defined purpose. The seeds planted today within the family orchard will produce the fruit gathered by future generations.
As children, Saturdays meant… no school! We slept in till late morning waking up just in time to watch Saturday morning cartoons.
As we got older and more interested in mature matters, like the opposite sex, Saturday’s became the standard date night. We cruised back and forth down the strip, headed to the drive-in, or the movie theater.
In time, we married the girl or guy of our dreams and before long, Saturday mornings became all about Honey-Do lists and laundry, then diaper duty and kids events.
Now, here we are today greeting Saturday again, but for some of us when we wake-up, we have no idea what day it is! As the world continues to spin around on its axil, the tick tock of life’s clock echoes loudly reminding me my days are numbered.
“Show me, Lord my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” Psalm 39:4 (NIV).
As a statistical individual, curiosity always gets the best of me and in recent times, I found myself asking how many Saturday’s I had left. Utilizing the life insurance’s life expectancy table, I found my life expectancy is 79 years. Just for fun, I have included this chart thinking you too may be interested to know your current life expectancy as well.
Current Age Life
Expectancy Male / Female Estimated
Saturdays Left
Male / Female
40 37/41 years 1924/2132
45 33/37 years 1716/1924
50 28 / 32 years 1456 / 1664
55 24 / 28 years 1248 / 1456
60 20 / 24 years 1040 / 1248
65 17 / 19 years 884 / 988
70 13 / 16 years 676 / 832
75 10 / 12 years 520 / 624
80 8 / 9 years 416 / 468
85 5 / 7 years 260 / 364
According to my calculation, I have about 1,248 Saturdays left. Along the journey of life, if we’re lucky, with age we gain wisdom. Life has certainly changed since the days of looking forward to Saturday morning cartoons. The things in life that once seemed so monumental have tempered with time. For many, success is no longer about acquiring “stuff,” but is more about finding significance.
For me the age old questions of “Why am I here?” and “What is my true purpose in life?” have continued to shake my consciousness. I spent a good bit of my life searching for my purpose only to realize I was using the wrong coordinates to locate it. I chose to use the world’s map and found my journey long and filled with switch backs, hairpin turns, and challenging terrain. Eventually, I did arrive where God placed me to walk out His destiny for my life. Truthfully, it didn’t have to take me so long to get there. I did not understand God had a specific call on my life. Gray hairs and a little wisdom have allowed me to understand God’s call; the reason he created me and what he desires for my life.
Our actions and words can and do impact our immediate family but they also leave implications on future family trees. How might this world be different if everyone were concerned about making a positive impact and passing forward significance and value to the next generation, something more than money or the stuff? To leave a legacy of vision, values, love, and blessing impacts the family tree for generations to come.
I’ve made up my mind to look at my Saturdays a bit differently now. After all, Lord willing, I may only have 1,248 left. How about you? How do you plan to spend your remaining Saturday’s and what type of impact do you hope to make?
Because Legacy Matters,
Guy Hatcher – known as The Legacy Guy – has spent his lifetime helping families plan their legacy. His new book, Your Future Reflection: How to Leave a Legacy Beyond Money, is now available at amazon.com. Follow him on twitter @guyhatcher or contact him at www.guyhatcher.com.
