June 14 Bible Reading Plan

Build Your Own Legacy

-Ma

These words were written on the note inside the gift Mary Anne sent Adonis Creed before his fight.

The gift reiterated the sentiment. It was his father, Apollo Creed's boxing shorts with the name "Creed" on the front but his name "Johnson" on the back.

The message was clear—fight and win the battle for yourself.

If you've ever seen Creed, you know this was a challenge for Adonis (Donnie).

Born the illegitimate son of the great boxer Apollo Creed, young Donnie had a lot going on inside him.

He wanted to live up to his father's reputation as a boxer, yet he was angry at his father for dying and leaving him alone. Most of all, as he told Rocky near the end of the fight, he needed to prove to himself and the world that he wasn't a mistake. Emotionally, the dude was a mess.

And yet, aren't we all at some point in our lives?

While few of us will ever have the chance to fight in a championship boxing match, we all struggle to fight the demons that plague us from our past.

For some, the pain and heartache of their past is unbearable. Whether consciously or unconsciously, they live their lives trying to overcome the pain of rejection, abandonment, trauma, or abuse. We live in a fatherless society, and many men carry deep wounds from their relationship or lack of relationship with their dad.

Others came from amazing families with great fathers. Often, these men struggle and wonder if they will ever be able to live up to the example of their Dads.

No matter which side of the pendulum you live, or even if you fall somewhere in between, there comes a point where we all need to hear the words "Build your own legacy." (1)

Here are some truths:

No man is destined to repeat their father's mistakes.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can become your own person. You can be healed of the pain of your past, and you can become a completely new person made in the image of Christ rather than the image of your earthly father.

No matter who your father was—whether he was an abuser, an alcoholic, an inmate, an angry man, a man who left, or any other type of man who hurt you and his family—you are not destined to follow in his footsteps.

You can choose a different path because of the changing power of salvation and the Holy Spirit living in your life.

You can live as an unbreakable man of God and start a new legacy for yourself and your family.

On the other hand, just because your father was a godly man or did extraordinary things does not mean that you are destined to live a life in his shadows. Your calling is greater than simply trying to fill someone else's shoes.

Your identity is not just being someone's son—it comes from being God's son. God's plan for your life may be totally different from His plan for your father’s life. He may call you to go further in life than your Dad did, or He may call you to walk in a completely different direction altogether.

Recently, I started watching a new show called Cake Dynasty with Buddy Valastro—the Cake Boss. I watched his first show, Cake Boss, many years ago on TLC. Back then, his children were babies, and the entire business occurred in a small business in Hoboken, NJ. I'm unsure if that show went off the air, or I just got bored. Either way, it has been at least a decade since I watched it.

Now he's back with a new show, and everything is different. First, his kids (the babies and toddlers in the first ) are grown and working in the bakery. The business has grown, too. They now have bakeries and restaurants all over the country. Instead of working from a basement, the main headquarters is now a factory. It's a massive change.

Still, in almost every episode, Buddy talks about doing things the same way his father taught him to do them. He means he's still using the same recipes, still dedicated to quality, and working hard just like his Dad taught him. Yet, each time, I think, "Let's be honest, there's nothing here like your dad did things."

All of the expansion brought massive changes.

The Holy Spirit has used this example to speak to my heart as I've been watching. He showed me that just like Buddy's business couldn't grow if he'd done everything exactly like his Dad did in the small family bakery, sometimes we need to let go of the "way we've always done things" or "the way someone else did things" so that we can grow and follow God's will for our lives.

The fact is that all growth necessitates change.

Change doesn't mean you disrespect or do not appreciate those who have come before.

Neither does admitting that those who came before us had struggles they didn't overcome in their lives.

It just means that, like Buddy, the Cake Boss, you are taking the foundation they gave you and building on it. You're taking their seed and allowing it to grow and expand.

You're building your legacy—being the man God created you to be and fulfilling His unique call for your life.

Bibliography:

1. Creed. Directed by Ryan Coogler, performances by Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone , Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures New Line Cinema Chartoff-Winkler Productions, 2015.