When I married my husband Ray 18 years ago, shortly after we married, his grandfather Hutchins died and Ray was one of the heirs to his estate. Ray was very close to his grandparents and this was a great loss in his life. But we were blessed with his grandparents’ beautiful antique furniture and their antique china.
Because it is valuable and we want to handle it with care, we use this delicate china only for special occasions such as family Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holiday meals. The china pattern is called “Georgia Rose,” which is interesting since I was born and raised in Georgia (Ray was born in Louisiana and raised in Louisiana and Texas, his parents’ and grandparents’ place of residnece). Here is a picture of the beautiful china pieces:
This Thanksgiving we had a young guest who looked at the specially set table and told me he’d never sat at a formal table like this before, which took me by surprise. I told him that almost everything in our dining room was an inheritance from Ray’s grandparents. Like Mary pondering things in her heart, I thought about how God had blessed us with the antique furniture and the china, and then thought about the inheritance we give our children, both physically and spiritually.
Several years ago, I bought a beautiful, antique, Victorian, maroon-red sofa with a high, ornate back. Our kids have more modern taste in furniture and decorating, so none of them really like it. Ray’s friend Ed, who helped us to load and haul the big, bulky thing in his pickup truck 60 miles to our home after we bought it at an antique store, joked that the day after Ray and I die, our kids are going to carry it to the side of the curb by our house, where the trashmen will pick it up. Well, I guess some things our kids don’t want to inherit! 😮
Seriously. Are you giving your children, grandchildren, and generations to come a godly inheritance? If not, what are they receiving from you? Doubt? Unbelief? Anger? Unforgiveness? Bitterness? Distrust? Jealousy? Greed? Lust? Materialism? Strife?
Or are they receiving God’s love, forgiveness, purity, holiness, faith, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, trust, giving heart? When you are no longer here, what will you leave as your legacy?
I am thankful Ray received the antiques and the china. But more than anything, I want to leave a godly legacy of prayer and faith in Christ for our children and their children. I want them to know Jesus intimately, to be able to hear His voice clearly, to follow Him, to fulfill their great destiny in Him.
What will leave you behind for your children and those around you?
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