Today is my birthday.  After 6 months of telling everyone I am 70, I finally am 70. It’s  odd that I should note that publicly because birthdays have never meant that much to me -not even other decade birthdays. 

But this one is some how different.  In addition to more tentative stair-climbing, more embarrassing moments digging for the word I’m looking forward to, and more pills to take, 70 brings a richness to living that I didn’t expect.  An extra dollop of wisdom and more common sense are benefits that come to mind. 

Many years ago, I studied and taught the principles of Steven Covey – including his mantra for life:  “live, love, learn and leave a legacy.”  Legacy is a word that 70-year-olds take seriously.  How will others remember us?  What will we leave that changes the the zip code we live in even a little bit?  Will the gift of life that God gave us be squandered or well-lived? 

I hope that I will be remembered for bringing a passion for becoming like Jesus, the excitement of living in the Kingdom, and the awareness that  Christ-in-me can transform the world to my little corner of the universe.  And I hope that, as Craig Groeschel recently reminded us at Leadership Summit,  I will always remember that “you’re not done till you’re dead!”