Creating Legacies

“The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever. They will not be ashamed in the time of evil, and in the days of famine they will have abundance.”

(rf. Ps. 37:18–19)

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” (rf. Prov.13:22)

“A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, favor is better than silver and gold.”

(rf. Prov. 22:1)

            Do you have the goal of leaving behind a legacy?

            Lori and I watch a number of British dramas and murder mysteries. Quite frankly, the quality of their work often is better than what we have in the States. There is also the challenge of having to listen closely to the language and to translate their difference use of words from our own. It becomes an intellectual exercise for the brain.

            One term used by the Brits is “legacy”. Their definition of this term is that which is given after the death of a person, usually in the concrete form of physical property, material items, or financial remuneration. This is one nuance of “inheritance” in the above passage in Prov. 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…”, with the implication that one who is not “good” or righteous in God’s sight leaves his descendants nothing after his passing. I bring the latter up because of the pervasive self-centeredness in our own culture which teaches our senior citizens, not to lay up anything for their children and grandchildren, but to spend all of their resources on themselves and their desires. As a bumper sticker I saw once on a very nice expensive vehicle stated, “I am spending my children’s inheritance”. According to the writer of Proverbs, such persons are not “good” persons at all.

Of course, “good” people can come across hard times. What they had laid back for their descendants, they were forced by health issues and negative circumstances just to pay bills and survive. I fear, with the expanding older population, rapidly increasing healthcare costs, declining health insurance options and clueless governmental officials, more and more folks will fall into this dilemma, sacrificing the future for the present.

            God’s people are required to have a very different perspective on life, in general, and legacies, in particular. Not only should we plan to leave behind a sizable portion of our earthly goods to our children and grandchildren after we are gone (even wisely considering giving it to them while we live so that we can see them enjoying it and helping them to use and invest such things prudently themselves), but, more importantly, we should pass on to them a legacy of love, generosity, compassion for others, wisdom and instruction, and, above all, faithfulness and obedience to the Lord and His Word. It is being an abiding example of these things that impresses the coming generations far more than earthly riches and material possessions. Those who seek to provide these “living and holy sacrifices” (rf. Rom. 12:1) will be the ones who provide for themselves “good names” during their lifetimes and in their legacies to follow.

            One final note to those in the younger crowd, just beginning this journey into adulthood. Just as our culture deifies materialism and upholds self-centeredness as the standard of success, so it also supports personal experiences as the measure of one’s life achievements. This, King Solomon would say, is pure “vanity”, (emptiness), but also in relation to the motivation of one’s heart in seeking after such things. Remember this: personal experiences can never replace those important relationships that were sacrificed along the way to achieve those experiences. When we come to our deathbed (and each of us will), photographs of our trips over the years or an IPhone with Facebook posts or Twitter feeds will lie cold in our hands, having little meaning to us when our heart’s desire will be for the comfort and warmth of loved ones that only comes when one has invested in a legacy.

I have been at the foot of dying man’s bed, surrounded by his children and grandchildren who loved him dearly. As he passed from this life to the next, this man knew he was blessed. He was a man of meager means, but died very rich in the relationships that he had cultivated. He left behind a legacy that, as the Scripture above states, “will be forever”.

What will your legacy be that remains behind when you depart this earth? It all depends on where your priorities are while you live. If you follow God’s Word, you will invest your life, faith and resources in the lives of your children, grandchildren, and their offspring, providing them a legacy that will endure for generations immeasurable. These are blessings that pictures cannot effectively capture and personal experiences are in no way comparable. It can only be captured by the loving faces that cherish and are called by your “good name” long after you are gone.