Legacy of a Sportsman

So, why is it important to be intentional about passing on your legacy as a sportsman? You love the outdoors. It is your passion. It is where we feel alive. Is it important to somehow capture all of the adventures and emotions and somehow express them to the generations that will follow us? The miles you have walked through the woods, and the depths you have floated on your favorite lakes or the ripples you have counted on the river and all of the memories that those events encompass. Is it important to capture all of the thoughts and conversations that you have while spending countless hours with those people that you love?

What were some of the most memorable camp fire discussions you had? What made your belly laugh so hard, that you felt like you were drowning with no air? How much emotional healing have you had over the years by smelling the sweet aroma of the morning mist; Or watching a breath taking sunset beyond the horizon, as you and you son sit on a rock. You spend both quality time and quantity of time in the field.

How many hours in the car swapping stories, eating beef jerky(as if eating beef jerky somehow brings us closer to nature) and anticipating the hunting or fishing experience in which you were about to embark? This is where you lose yourself and find yourself, all at the same time. Things become clear and less complicated. This is where you connect with your friends and family. This is where some of the most important lessons in life were learned and now taught. The field and what you learned from it, is your legacy.

We first have to give definition to what legacy is, and legacy is about teaching others about the life experiences that you have. You were taught how to shoot a gun, or how to cast a line, look for game on the side of a shady ridge. How to clean a shotgun, tie a fly, load ammo. You were taught the skill of holding in that sneeze and staying still when that big buck was just out of range. You were taught how to fight the urge to sleep later, but instead to get up and get the “worm” (remember the “early bird” saying?)

Legacy is about passing values to those that are most important to us. The honesty of passing on a questionable shot, or avoiding the temptation to fish with two rods instead of one, even though you know no one else will know. It’s about passing convictions, and it’s about seeing those things blossom in the lives of those that you love. Legacy is about your present past and your future working together to impact to the lives of your children and your children’s children. So what lessons are taught while you are hunting and fishing?

· You’re teaching the beauty and the care for the creation that you’re enjoying.
· You’re teaching respect for animals and other people.
· You’re teaching integrity of the sportsman in general and what your values are.
· You’re teaching safety and readiness.
· You’re teaching how to focus under pressure

This concept of legacy brought new meaning to me the first time my son shot his first bird out of the air at age 9. I was dancing around with my gun in the air like I had just won the lottery. Something inside of me had been stirred unlike anything I had ever experienced. He and I celebrated, laughed and to this day still retell the story of what happed on that late September afternoon. What occurred during that hunt that was beyond special. It was more than memorable. I don’t want to lose this experience. I want my son’s grandchildren to know about the day he shot his first dove. The hunt itself had a higher meaning. It wasn’t about filling my limit, or outdoing my hunting comrades. It was about investing my life in the life of my son.

Legacy brought new meaning to me the first time my 6 year old daughter caught her first trout. As she reeled in that 8-inch stocker, my life changed forever. We bonded in a way that was not possible before that fish. As we sat hand in hand on the edge of that pond, waiting for the next unlucky little “tyke” to eat the morsel on the end of her line, I was at peace as a dad. My role for that moment, was complete.

Isn’t it interesting that we are discussing the change that Legacy, and passing things on in the future has a way of changing our lives for the better, today? Legacy is not just about the future, it is about being who we were created to be, today.

Those with children and grandchildren have stories of their own, special stories. It would be such a shame to lose those stories. Every sportsman should do whatever possible to preserve this unique tool that we have to teach the generations that will follow about the importance of being a sportsman and passing on their traits through a sportsman legacy.

Intentional Legacy Now!

There is a process to Legacy. Legacy itself is not a destination. Legacy is a consideration of the future, but it deeply involves the present and the past. God can use legacy to heal your past and make you more effective for His kingdom in the future. God calls us to disciple our families, and what is one of the products of that discipleship? It's an intentional legacy that is left for others to see and experience.

Why is legacy important to me today? God is going to use legacy to heal the wounds that we have. We all have wounds, and we all need healing for those wounds. I believe it is very difficult to be open to God's will for your life for the future when you haven't reconciled God's will for your past. What has hurt you in the past? What circumstances occurred that you cannot explain? Why are you unsettled when you look at certain historical events that took place in your life?

I am discovering that my legacy involves my past as much as it does my future. The generations that follow me will want to know about me. they will want to know my struggles, but more importantly how I dealt with those struggles and how God used those struggles to draw me closer to Him. I believe God will use my past to teach me about Him, but He will use those things to impact the lives of those yet to come. Romans 8:28 " And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose".

Sold out...To what?

Why is legacy capturing my thoughts these days? I am thinking that God is some way whispering to me that there are things in this life that are just not as important as I thought. I have spent so much time pursuing an illusion. The closer I get to that illusion, the oasis in the desert, the farther I am away from it. In other words its unattainable. As a believer in Jesus Christ , I will never be completely satisfied with what life has to offer without Him. My thirst will never be quenched by drinking from the well of the world.

I am thinking more about how my life in Christ will impact those around me. I am specifically interested in how I will pass my values to my children and their children, and their children. Perhaps I have finally given in to the fact that I will not be a Kennedy or a Rockefeller, and the inheritance that my kids will receive will have nothing to do with money. Good thing!

I am listening more to what God would have me do.. I have often told God that I am going this direction, and I fully expect Him rain down His blessings upon me, as I pursue my own agenda. I bought into the "Blessing candy machine" philosophy. Pop in a couple of requests and out comes a pretty packaged blessing, just like I asked. Maybe it doesn't work that way. How do I totally surrender to what God has for my life and the lives of my children? Is it about living the good life and getting the blessings we ask for, or is it about simply being with and knowing God no matter what circumstances we are in?

I have been sold out to the "prosperity" doctrine for too long. If I do the right things, act the right way, pray more, do my devotions, read my bible, sin less, work harder, go to church more often, give more, then God will grant my every wish. The genie will come out of the bible and fulfill me to my hearts content. So why am I not always content? Can I really control God this way? Does this formulaic approach really work? Have I cracked the code? If I simply do these things, will I get what I want?

God wants me in relationship with Him. He never promised me life was going to be easy, no matter what I do. The good life concept is not some sort of deal we make with God in order to get what we want. We cannot manipulate God, and if we are arrogant enough to believe we can, then we deserve to live life in the fog of despair and discouragement.

In short, legacy is a perspective for me. It's a lens I am looking through at every area of my life. It affects everything. Is my legacy the money or things, I leave behind in memory of some distant generation? Or is legacy God's footprint in my life, lived for His glory, to teach His future generations about Him? Legacy isn't about us, it's about Him. Something to think about...

Family Vision Statement

My wife Heidi and I went through a 6 week process of creating a family vision statement. It was interesting to see how the Lord formulated our thoughts and priorities, as we developed this. The goal was to put in writing, what direction God was taking our family. The written statement will be framed and "written on our door frame" to remind us of our priorities when life gets fuzzy.

We held a family meeting with our children to discuss our family vision statement. It was encouraging to see their openness and willingness to adopt the priorities that were outlined. It was as if there was a pressure taken from our children in knowing what was expected of them and that God is at wheel.

In this post I am including a copy of our vision statement. May it encourage you to think about the direction God is leading your family...




Gonzales Family Vision Statement

We will…Put our relationship with Christ above all things in our home

We will…Look to God’s word for the answers to tough questions

We will…Have a quiet time each day

We will…Honor mom and dad

We will…Respect mom and dad’s time alone

We will…Love and protect each other, to the death if need be

We will…Obey the Lord and mom and dad

We will…Honor God with sound money decisions (Give and save first- buy with cash)

We will…Put God and our family before any other activities

We will…Worship together as a family

We will…Be available; Be affectionate; Give affirmation; And accept one another

Deuteronomy 6:5-9
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk with them when you sit at home and when you walk along side the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates”

"Dad, thanks for showing me how to handle money"

As I ponder what the future will hold me me and my posterity alike, I cant help but to think about how my children will handle money. There are conversations that I would like to have in 20 years with each of my children. One of them is the positive influence I had on their lives with regard to how well they manage their money.

When the word legacy is used in the secular community is often linked to a person's future financial affairs and concerns. It relates to how a person passes money on to their 3 "C's" their Children, their Church, or their Charity. But I think of legacy and money in a very different light.

The legacy the world is talking about has more to do with the actual money itself and the money legacy I am talking about has to do with how we teach our children and grandchildren about money and how it should be used now. There is also a lot to be said about where the money came from in the first place. God makes considerable reference to money in His word and He uses money as a tool in which to bring us into a more dependant relationship with Him. Do my kids know this to be the case?

I have three children, two of which are old enough to understand some of the concepts that revolve around money management. I have one child who can spend money like there is no tomorrow and who enjoys the "Live in the now" mentality as it relates to his financial well being. I have another child however who is the complete opposite. She seems to "Come into" money with very little effort. She does what she loves to do, which is serve people and the Lord seems to bless her abundantly, she can't spend her money fast enough. It is also interesting to note that she is very faithful in her giving. The offering basket does not get past her without some of her money making it's way in.

I am sure glad that God is in control, because it's overwhelming to think of the responsibility I bear in teaching my children about money. Money is an instrument that is used for both good and evil and I pray that God will give me the wisdom to not only make good decisions myself with the money that he has entrusted to me, but also to pass on a legacy of money that fruitful in His eyes, to my children.

The financial legacy we leave to the generations ahead of us begins now with how we handle our money. My desire is to pass on solid godly financial principle that will aid them in good times and in bad...