What will be your Legacy?
The day that this message is published I will be with my daughter as she gives birth to our grandson. Being a grandparent is one of God’s greatest blessings. With the wisdom acquired from being older, there are many ways I interact with my grandchildren that are very different from how I interacted with my children.
As a young mother I was always so busy. Keeping up with the laundry, the grocery shopping and meal preparation, the house cleaning, and the children’s activities seemed to leave little time for one on one time with each child. As a grandparent, all those daily duties have less urgency and there is time to play, read, and interact with each grandchild. There are times when I wonder, “What will my grandchildren remember about our times together?” I think of the special times I spent with my grandparents and I want to make special memories that will be a blessing in the years to come.
This caused me to ask the question, “What will be my legacy? What can I do that will make a difference?” The dictionary would define “legacy” as a gift that is handed down, from one person to another. But a lasting legacy is more about sharing what you have learned, not just what you have earned. It is more about bequeathing values rather than valuables. Of course, the legacy you leave will not be established in a day, or a week or a year. Everything you say and do will be a deposit in your legacy. It will be built throughout your lifetime.
I remember doing science experiments with my older grandchildren and making donuts with my little granddaughter. I enjoy playing games with them and reading to them. But the one thing that I hope they remember and build upon is what I share with them about God and how I pray for them. It has been said “If we don’t teach our children who God is, someone else will teach them everything He isn’t.” The best way I can teach them about God is by sharing the ways He works in my life, by sharing scripture, and by having conversations about who He is and how He is present in our daily lives. They are aware that I pray for them and I pray with them. I send the older grandchildren scriptures and prayers by text and encourage them to grow in their faith and trust in God. What a blessing it is to see their childlike faith growing and maturing.
Even when I am not with them, the most important thing I can do is pray for them. The destiny of generations to come is shaped by the legacy they inherit. Our prayers never die. Our prayers are the greatest legacy we can leave.
So, as I anticipate the birth of this new grandson and look forward to enjoying time with all my grandchildren, I hope to create a legacy that will build a foundation of faith and point them to God. Being a grandparent truly is a blessing. It holds joys that we now have the time to share.
I love what you said: “…but what we have learned, not earned.” You are right; most of the Scripture passages that pop in my head when I need something to hold on to, are the passages my dad has shared with us.
What an opportunity we have to shape them! And a responsibility…