What do you pass down from generation to generation? What family stories are forefront; which recipes; which photographs or printed articles?
Yesterday I was privilged to sit and watch the Prayer March with my mother. At ninety-seven her memory is beginning to fail but she remembered some of the clips that were shown of Billy Graham crusades from fifty years ago. She and my father left us a family legacy of faith in God, dependence on His word and commitment to prayer.
It’s at times like these I ask myself what are my children and grandchildren learning from me? It’s important to me that they know how good God is and how many times I would have been overtaken by despair and discouragement if my Father God had not been my source of strength!
When there was no one else to depend on, when hope was all but gone, when situations looked disastrous He was there! When things were good and grand, when blessings were obvious, when I felt strong and at ease He was there! Times of health and healing, prosperity and lack, courage and disappointment, joy and heartbreak, purposeful direction and aimless wandering – through all of these He was and still is there!
I can think of nothing greater that I can leave them as a family legacy than my dependence on and trust in the Lord and His word.
“I will praise You, my God and King. I will honor Your name forever and ever. 2 I will honor You every day, and praise Your name forever and ever. 3 The Lord is great and our praise to Him should be great. He is too great for anyone to understand. 4 Families of this time will praise Your works to the families-to-come. They will tell about Your powerful acts. 5 I will think about the shining-greatness of Your power and about Your great works. 6 Men will speak of Your powerful acts that fill us with fear. And I will tell of Your greatness. 7 Many words will come from their mouths about how good You are. They will sing for joy about how right You are.
8 The Lord is full of loving-favor and pity, slow to anger and great in loving-kindness. 9 The Lord is good to all. And His loving-kindness is over all His works. 10 All Your works will give thanks to You, O Lord. And all those who belong to You will honor You. 11 They will speak of the shining-greatness of Your holy nation, and talk of Your power. 12 They will make Your powerful acts and the great power of Your holy nation known to the sons of men. 13 Your holy nation is a nation that lasts forever. And Your rule lasts for all time.
14 The Lord holds up all who fall. He raises up all who are brought down. 15 The eyes of all look to You. And You give them their food at the right time. 16 You open Your hand and fill the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is right and good in all His ways, and kind in all His works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. 19 He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 The Lord takes care of all who love Him. But He will destroy all the sinful. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord. And all flesh will honor His holy name forever and ever.” Psalm 145 NLV
What I want them to know, what I want everyone to know, is the Lord is good. He takes care of those who love Him. He forgives our sins and His love endures forever. I can think of no greater legacy than that!