How Is Your
Legacy?
By Mark Batterson
Toward the end of his ministry, the
prophet Elijah knew his days were
numbered. So he said to his apprentice,
Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you
before I am taken from you?” I suppose
Elisha could have asked for any number
of things, including Elijah’s estate. But
Elisha made no bones about what he
really wanted: Let me inherit a double
portion of your spirit.
Is it any coincidence that Elisha’s
curriculum vitae includes twenty-
eight miracles, exactly twice as many
as his prophetic mentor?4 I think not,
but let me flip the script. The true
measure of Elijah’s success was not
the fourteen miracles he had a hand
in. It was watching the next generation
do things he didn’t even dare dream
of. Simply put, success is succession.
Please don’t read that as a platitude.
Success is handing the baton to those
who come behind us and cheering
them on as they run farther and faster
than we did.
My undergraduate education began
at the University of Chicago. The
U of C has produced ninety-eight
Nobel laureates, but I’m not sure
any of them left as big an imprint on
that university as its famed football
coach, Amos Alonzo Stagg. Stagg
coached the original Monsters of the
Midway for four decades, winning two
national titles in 1905 and 1913. His
brainchildren include the huddle, the
onside kick, the T formation, and the
forward pass.
Amos Alonzo Stagg invented football
as we know it, but that isn’t his greatest
legacy. When he accepted the invitation
to coach, he gave an acceptance
speech of sorts to the university
president: “After much thought and
prayer, I decided that my life can best
be used for my Master’s service in
the position you have offered.” Stagg
would coach football until the age of
ninety-eight, but he didn’t just coach
his teams. He discipled his players.
After one of his winning seasons, a
beat reporter congratulated the coach
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