Our Legacy

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward.” Psalm 127:3 (NKJV)

Several words function as synonyms for heritage, among them  “inheritance,”  “gift,” “blessing,” and “reward.”  Most parents would say that all of these synonyms apply to them because they are grateful for their children. A reading of this short Psalm 127 shows that joy and protection are the two blessings that come from having children.  The occasions for joy are many, but in this graduation season,  it’s  easy to see the parents’ joy and  exhilaration  as they attend this milestone event in their children’s life.  And in the area of protection, I can say that children can be our protectors and “meet with the enemies in the gate,” as the  psalm says  (verse 5). On a recent out-of-town trip,  I experienced car trouble and found myself in some trying situations.  My older son came through for me  in a truly protective role. Indeed, our children give us joy and protection.

In Bible times, children were a legacy as well as a heritage. A patriarch passed on,  mainly to his sons, the legacy of the family name, possessions, traditions, and cultural heritage. Jacob’s twelve sons were an inheritance from God, and near the end of his life, the patriarch blessed each of his sons with a legacy that ensured the family’s destiny in Israel. After the conquest of Canaan, the land was divided among all twelve tribes, the heritage of Jacob.

Jacob left a legacy to his children. Today parents, and grandparents also, can leave a legacy to their progeny, not necessarily property or  a monetary bequest, but values that can help them stand strong in the world. With the building blocks of  our society crumbling, it is important that  adults provide a sound moral foundation to help their “heritage” navigate their way in the world with strength of character, thus  giving them a leg up on living with purpose.

Those of us  who have committed  our lives  to Christ  have a wonderful heritage,  an unmatched legacy. In His life on earth, Jesus provided a model for  us on how to live, so that  our path through life has direction and meaning as we  “walk as He walked” (I John 2:6).  We belong to Him, and the legacy He  has left us provides spiritual values and lifestyle practices that help  us here and now. But above all, He has  secured for us through faith in Him  an inheritance reserved for us in the kingdom of heaven.

Always,

Judith

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“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God 
and joint-heirs with Christ.”
Romans 8:17