My family recently attended the funeral of my husband's grandfather - the man our son is named after. In his lifetime, he earned five degrees, was a missionary to Hong Kong, founded a hospital there, served as a surgeon and chief of staff at a hospital in St. Paul, MN after returning to the states, and wrote a walk-through-the-Bible-in-a-year book - to name just a few. He was father of 10, father-in-law to 10, grandfather to 48, grandfather-in-law to 9, and great-grandfather to 16.
As we gathered with the incredible numbers of family, friends, and church members to remember Grandpa's life, it was very clear that he left an incredible legacy here on earth when he went to be with Jesus. I don't think any of his family would call him perfect - his oldest son summed up his life by saying, "Dad wasn't perfect, but he kept getting better" - but I learned some lessons from him about leaving a Godly legacy for my children and, someday, grandchildren:
He spent individual time. During the family service, grandchild after grandchild stood to share stories of the special one-on-one time Grandpa had spent with them. My own husband remembers times like these. He even called every one of them (remember - there were 48) by their first and middle names. I've seen him and Grandma do this with my own son. It was clear that each one was special to him, and he showed it by singling them out for attention. As a mother, I want to show my children individual attention and love when I can.
He made God priority. In every part of his life, he lived out the idea that God came first. From going back to school - not once, not twice, but three times to fill a much-needed roll in the mission field - to praying about every single decision, he did what God called him to. He didn't make excuses for decisions, and he didn't bow to anyone's expectations but God's. My husband summed up Grandpa's life shortly before he died: "This is a man who, for 86 years, has been running hard in everything he did straight for God. And now he's about to finally see his Goal face-to-face." Will my children be able to say the same of my life? Will they say that I ran hard after God with everything I had?
He brought God home. Reading the Bible and singing songs of praise (specifically, hymns, in this family) was an every-day occurrence in Grandpa's home. I think it's safe to say that each of his children have some fond - and many not-so-fond - memories of these times (they did happen at 5:30 AM every morning...). But I think it's also very clear that each of them, and subsequently their families, knows the truths of God well. They have much of Scripture hidden in their hearts and they share it with their own children. Are the words of God frequented in my home? Are the praises of God on my children's lips?
Leaving a legacy for our children is a big challenge as a momma. Some days we fail. Some days it seems insurmountable. But some days it's encouraging to see a real-life example and tangible ways to set about it. The best part? God wants you to succeed! He's behind you as you work, each day, to build that legacy!
What are some ways your family has left a legacy for you? What are some ways you work to leave a legacy for your children?
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