Don’t you love going on trips? Especially those trips that take you on unfamiliar roads that allow you to take in the scenery you would have otherwise missed?  Recently we went on such a trip and along the way, we were able to see mountains, rivers, and farms that we don’t get to see on our daily route.  Passing by these farms made me wonder about the people who lived there.  I thought about their children and how they were probably being raised and taught how to run that farm once their parents are no longer here.  The thought was beautiful.

It was beautiful because for one to have a working farm takes . . . well, lots of work. Usually, the children are being established at a young age about what their futures will look like.  This kind of care and attention that it takes to first, build the farm, and secondly, instill the work ethic in the children to keep it going is a special part of their heritage these parents are passing on.

The thought of building up to pass it on is a beautiful concept to me. It gives the idea that these young people will have a heads up in life that others do not.  One day my youngest daughter and I were sitting across the coffee table opposite each other.  Our two laptops were stationed back to back.  She was playing a game and I was working on mine.  I remember as I peered across, all I can see was her little eyes darting back and forth following objects on the screen.  She was sick at that time so her eyes are a little droopy; nonetheless, as I looked into her eyes I wondered what does her future hold.  Will there be something tangible for her and her siblings to hold on to that her father and I have left behind?

Proverbs 13:22 speaks of leaving such an inheritance behind. It says, “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children…”  One that even the grandbabies can participate in.  Of course, it doesn’t have to be farm work.  Rather, any real and tangible thing that will help our children build their future; something that those coming after us can positively say, “I get that from my dad or mom,” or something to that effect.  When they can say, “Thanks to the legacy they left behind, they set forth this foundation for me to build my life on.”  That deals with the material side of life.

Then, we have the spiritual side of life. 2 Corinthians 12:14 specifically deals with this.  Paul says, “For I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.” As their spiritual father, Paul was not worried about their possessions or personal gain in life.  He was more focused on the harvest they would reap after they pass from this world.  He wanted to leave a legacy that would draw his spiritual children nearer to Christ no matter the work and effort he himself had to put into it.  He said, “I will very gladly spend and be spent for you…” (2 Corinthians 12:15).

As a parent, we do feel spent sometimes for the sake of our children, both materialistically and spiritually. But, since I believe in the Word of God I believe there is going to be good growth that comes out of it.  Nope, everything is not all peachy-keen all the time, but as the one who wants to leave a legacy, I believe God will bless.

The foundation of wanting to “lay up” for our children started with Him. “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise,” (Colossians 3:29).  We are heirs, and as heirs, we inherit what our Father has willed to us.  How nice would it be if our children can look back and say, “If my dad or mom did that or accomplished this then there’s no telling what I could do.”  This works on both a spiritual level as well as a material one.  I have always been taught that God gives us two gifts: one for this life to sustain us and earn our living, and a spiritual gift that will store up for our eternal future.  How blessed would it be for our children to see us moving forth in both?  And, how blessed would it be for us to see our children operating in that which we have laid up for them?  Today, I definitely want to work on leaving a legacy.  It’s not too late!  Start today!

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