In most families, precious treasures are passed down from one generation to another.
Such things are irreplaceable. Having been lovingly cared for over the years, they are part of an inheritance that goes from parent-to-child over generations. The number of generations that it is able to go depends on how well the recipient cares for the inheritance.
If it isn’t well cared for, there will be nothing left to pass on.
On Good Friday, as I was setting my dining room table for Easter dinner – I brought out the china, crystal and table linens that I inherited from both of grandmothers and my mother. There I stood, looking over things that at one time had belonged to them – but now they belong to me.
My grandmothers and my mom believed that, even though these treasures are precious, the china, crystal and linens were not to be hidden away and brought out only on holidays. They were used often and were on display in their homes until they didn’t need them anymore.
One summer, when I was in elementary school, my mom allowed me to have a fancy dinner party for my friends. We had so much fun planning it!
It was quite a girlie affair – we even folded the napkins into ‘roses’ and put pastel-colored dinner mints inside their petals for my guests.
We were SO fancy!
My choice for the main course was chicken pot pie. Even with my very non-gourmet choice of an entree, the table was set with mom’s antique tablecloth and the pot pie was served on her china. I will remember that little dinner party my whole life long!
There are so many sweet memories – but the china, crystal, and linens are not the most important things that have been passed on to me.
I have been given a much more valuable inheritance.
Over the past year, as I have gone through my mother’s belongings, I’ve come across things from my grandmothers, too. One afternoon, I found their wallets.
Inside, I found prayers and scriptures written on the backs of business cards or on little slips of paper – tucked away behind family pictures and the other kinds of things we carry in our wallets.
As I read them, I could clearly see that the verses and prayers they saved were reminders to be strong & faithful – and to not be afraid. There were prayers of thanksgiving and prayers for God’s peace.
It’s funny, but those are the very same types of scriptures and prayers that I have tucked away on my iPhone, in my Bible and on sticky notes around my house.
Like the women before me, they remind me to pray, to stay strong, to remain faithful, and to not be afraid. I thank God for my blessings. I pray for God’s peace.
Now, in case you are wondering, I did not pick this up from the gene pool! I learned to trust God with my hurts and fears because they did. I learned to thank Him, because I heard them do it.
Their example and commitment to be faithful offered me a spiritual inheritance.
It was my own decision to trust Him with my life – they couldn’t do that for me – but the seeds were planted.They left a legacy of faith for the next generation.
The number of generations it is able to go depends on how well the recipient cares for it.
If it hadn’t been well cared for, there would have been nothing left to pass on.
I am thankful that my grandmothers and my mother did not sleep in on Sunday mornings – but instead, made sure their family was sitting in God’s house every week.
Like their treasures, they did not hide their faith away – only to be seen on holidays. No, they used it well – serving God and His people in too many ways to count.
These were not perfect women – and we aren’t either – but they hung onto and trusted His promises until their faith became sight.
Let the same be said of us, too.
On the 13th of May, I will have been a mom for 30 years. There’s a flood of emotion that comes with THAT thought, but I won’t go there for now! Instead, I’ll share with you a few things I’ve learned about caring for and passing on the faith to the next generation.
- You can leave an inheritance even if no one left one for you
- It is never too late to plant the seeds of faith in your family
- You will never regret introducing your children to the body of Christ and making your way into the fellowship each week – even if you have to do it alone
- For some, it might be tempting to give up during the teen years when children are asserting their autonomy and independence. It’s NORMAL. Keep going – do not give up at this most crucial time in their life. It may be a thankless exercise for now, but God sees you.
- PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!
- Take care not to fall into legalism — people come to Christ by His kindness, mercy and grace ( and ours too)
- Never underestimate your influence as a grandmother, aunt, godmother or friend. Here’s the thing – like my inherited tableware, our faith is mean to be shared and passed on. Give it away.
Let’s do the hard thing, girls. Let’s stay faithful and strong, knowing that He never asks us to do anything He won’t give us the power to do.
In Exodus 20:6, God tells Moses:
“I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.”
Many Blessings,
PS. Welcome, May! The summer is finally in sight, and to celebrate, I am sharing one of my very favorite early summer recipes with you! Every single time I make this yummy strawberry salad, I am asked for the recipe. It’s definitely a keeper! You can find it by clicking the ‘freebies’ tab at the top of this page. Enjoy!
28 thoughts on “What Will They Inherit From You?”
Love this, thank YOU!
Thank you ,Cyndi! xo
Laura, this Truth really touched my heart! My wonderful DIL’s mom gave me a prayer devotional book recently when we became grandparents again. There are many wonderful prayers in it but the one that stands out to me is the prayer to “have a continuous line of believers and Jesus-followers until Jesus Himself returns.” A prayer of legacy. Your blog beautifully reinforced that desire of my heart!
Oh Rose — your words mean so much to me. Thank you. Your family is blessed to have you as mom and grandmother. xo
Laura, I love how your write, “legacy of faith.” I remember watching my mom as a little girl, praying over my brothers and I, reading her bible, standing firm in her faith. It sticks with you, and then as you get older you find yourself doing that. I’m so thankful that my parents showed me what faith is, and when I have children, I hope to one day do the same. You have a beautiful family! Happy to have found you at #RaRaLinkup.
Crystal — You are blessed to have parents who brought you up in the faith! As the years go by, you will be even more thankful than you are now. Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a sweet comment! xoxo
Thank you for that awesome message about inheridence, a perfect reminder for this Sunday
Cheryl
Cheryl –Have a wonderful Mothers Day! xo
Laura your words are so powerful and really speak to my heart. I too found some little notes of scripture written on little pieces of paper after she passed. Unlike your mom and grandmom she did not openly share her faith with me. Finding those scriptures were a real treasure to me and helped me unlock some of the mystery for me that was my mom. It also gave me an even stronger conviction to openly share my faith and my life with our children. Praying many blessings over you this Mother’s Day. Love Meg
Meg — our stories have intersected over and over again. I am so grateful to God and grateful for you. xoxo
I had a praying grandmother and mother too. And I am so grateful for the legacy they left me.
Rachel – thank you for stopping by my blog today. We are both blessed to have had praying women in our lives. xo
Such a lovely post! I’m visiting from Holley Gerth link up. I am missing my mom this mother’s day and am still going through some of her things and I have found her prayer cards too. As mom’s they have given(and I hope I have to) gifts that at the time they had no idea what it would mean to us later.
I know, Kathleen –I wonder if they had any idea how much it would mean to us? I am sorry you are missing your mom this Mothers Day — me too. It helps me to keep my mind on the ways I am grateful — thus, this blog post. Thanks for dropping by. xo
Hi Laura! I’m your neighbor on the linkup and I’m so glad it brought me to your post! This is my second mother’s day – my mom didn’t really leave much of a legacy for me, at least not one I want to pass on – but I am trying to leave one for my girl! Thank you for the encouragement, I needed your words today!!!
Oh Lindsey — I am sorry your mom did not leave you a Godly legacy, but thankfully you are chosen to be the first to leave one for your daughter. Just think of how that will impact not only your girl, but future generations! Praise God. I am happy you stopped by –thanks for commenting. xo
What a lovely, inspiring story!! Thank you for sharing! xo
Thank you, Tawni. xo
This post is so encouraging, Laura – thank you. A legacy of faith is important, and something that we may not be aware of building over time. If we work according to God’s will, we are always doing what’s right. This thought keeps me going – and inspires me to live for him more out in the open when it comes to my family.
Andrea — yes– it is important for us to be open and intentional when it comes to leaving an inheritance for our family. Thank you for stopping by! xo
Laura,
Hello Laura,
I loved reading your post. I treasure the items passed down from our grandmothers. My husband and I have beautiful china from our grandmothers that we hope to one day pass on to our children. Each time I use the china, the memories are precious. Recently, my parents gave me a dressing table that was my grandmothers. I can remember spending summers on the farm in Kentucky. Each summer, I would send hours sitting at the dressing table as I played dress up with my cousins. It was such a blessing to be offered the dressing table. It has been in my father’s family for over 100 years. I hope one day I too can pass down the items that have been given to me.
Best,
Robin
Robin — my grandmother had a dressing table and I too used to sit at it for hours and played dress up. The old things that are passed down have such rich memories –that is why they are so valuable. xoxo
My Mom has been gone nearly 20 years and my most treasured “things” from her aren’t jewels or furs. They’re her teacups, pretty and dainty, that we shared tea and conversation. And the notes: notes she left me, things she jotted in her Bible. Those are the real treasures. Really lovely post!
Thank you Melanie — we have similar memories and we are truly blessed.
Wow, this one gave me goosebumps! I’ll be sharing on Mother’s Day on my Facebook page. Thanks so much for these beautiful and powerful sentiments!
Thank you so much, Gina. I appreciate your encouragement and thank you so much for sharing on your FB page. I truly appreciate it. 🙂
Laura,
What a beautiful tribute to the women in your family and what wise advice you give at the end of your post. Thank you 🙂 And may God comfort you this Mother’s Day as you remember your mom.
Thank you, Dolly. xo