When we hear the word ‘legacy’ it is easy to think of people like Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa or Albert Einstein - people with world changing impact that lasts longer than their time on earth. Yet, we all leave legacies that impact the world around us, for better or for worse. As a student, you have the opportunity to leave a Kingdom legacy at university that others will be blessed by.
Your legacy is the footprints you leave behind and the way we choose to walk, changes our footprints. In the same way we walk in faith changes the impact we make and the campus we leave behind when we graduate. What legacy will you leave behind?
A LEGACY OF SERVING
A night out at uni can be one of the craziest nights of your life. You can experience so many things in the space of just a few short hours. From holding your friend’s hair back while they’re sick to seeing grown men dressed in tutus, from getting your mates home safely to trying to break up a fight, there are endless opportunities to serve your friends and other students like Jesus would. Here are some other ways you could leave a legacy of serving.
Loving words: be intentional about what you say. In a culture that loves to gossip, use your words to build people up and encourage them.
Loving works: Jesus washed His disciples feet. Maybe washing your flatmate's feet wouldn’t go down well, but washing their dirty dishes is an act of loving kindness.
Loving wonders: We are called to bring freedom into people’s lives so be bold and offer to pray for people! This gives God the chance to heal, intervene and set people free.
Loving welcome: Learn to continually welcome people and extend an invitation to students to follow Jesus. No matter who they are or what their lives are like, no matter your differences, the gospel is for EVERYONE!
Loving witness: Our lives are made to display the goodness of God, provoke curiosity and intrigue so that we might get the chance to share what Jesus means to us.
A LEGACY OF PRAYER
There will be times at university when your friends will be in need. They may be stressed or suffering, exhausted or exasperated or in need of encouragement or wisdom. As Christians, we have access to a God who wants to bless people and help them in ways no one else can.
We can pray for healing or comfort. We can ask God for wisdom or to know what to do. We can pray for breakthroughs and big situations to change. There is no prayer too big or too small for God - we can ask Him to step into any and every situation. Prayer changes things, it changes people and it changes lives. Offer to pray for your friends, your coursemates and be rooted in prayer yourself - by doing this you can leave a legacy of prayer.
To get creative with your prayer life, check out our P.R.A.Y decks here.
A LEGACY OF CONVERSATION
You may be surprised how many people are willing, even eager, to discuss the meaning of life, who God is and why you believe in Him. They often want to explore their own personal questions like…. ‘Who am I? What is my purpose? Am I loved? Is God real?’ So many students are open minded and wanting to discover more, and they can do that through talking to you and having good conversations.
Some words are seeds planted in people’s lives: some words wound deeply and others bring life and continue to resonate. When we speak we don’t always realise the impact those words have. Our words can create a legacy of life, encouragement, compassion and curiosity in other people’s lives, so what we communicate face to face, over text or on social media matters.
If you want some help starting good conversations, get yourself a DMC deck and unlock a new world of deep meaning conversations with those you meet.
A LEGACY OF DISCIPLESHIP
When Jesus called the disciples, they became students. They spent 3 or 4 years studying with Jesus as their teacher, being asked questions and even more than they were asking. What would it look like if your 3 or 4 years at university were marked by your discipleship too? Your years at university can lay the foundations for the greatest legacy of your life. That legacy is the legacy of a life lived well, a life centred on Jesus, a life journeying in friendship with God.
How do you build that legacy? Prioritise your devotional life with Jesus by making sure you set aside time for Prayer, Worship and Scripture. Being a part of a local church family, investing in a small group, being asked and asking good questions and making time to let Jesus disciple you through Scripture and time spent praying are all ways in which you can build a legacy of discipleship to last a lifetime.
So what legacy will you leave behind?
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