John Eldredge - author of Wild At Heart - is often misquoted as being the source of the quote, "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
 
The truth is that the quotation originated from a lesser-known American theologian named Howard Thurman. It just goes to show you that some of your greatest ideas may never be appreciated in your lifetime, or even be credited to you! (Eldredge wrote Wild at Heart over a decade after Thurman's death, and most fans think he came up with the adage, even though he doesn't take credit for it in the book.)
 
Maybe, we shouldn't care whether or not our greatness is seen as "great" by the world. Maybe, as Thurman tells us, we should just be concerned about coming alive.
 
Maybe a great idea or a great saying is enough to stand on its own. Maybe contributing something meaningful to humanity that will inspire and motivate is worth far more than mere human recognition. Maybe those are the kinds of legacies Christians ought to be leaving - invisible ones that cannot be traced back to the originator of the idea, ones that solely give glory to God.

What kind of legacy are you leaving?
 
In case you were wondering what else he wrote, here are some other great quotes by Thurman:

  • "Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers."

  • "During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has to masquerade often under the guise of patriotism."

  • "There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days at the ends of strings that somebody else pulls."

  • "Commitment means that it is possible for a man to yield the nerve centre of his consent to a purpose or cause, a movement or an ideal, which may be more important to him than whether he lives or dies."

  • "A dream is the bearer of a new possibility, the enlarged horizon, the great hope."