The importance of leaving your children with some financial security cannot be argued. Most of us work to accomplish this at some level; be it life insurance, savings or sending them to college to obtain the ability to work at a job that will provide for themselves and their future family’s needs. We consider this to be a heritage, a financial heritage. Who would not want to provide security and a future for their family?
But how many people these days think about the worth and importance of a heritage that is not of monetary gain? A heritage that cannot be cashed at a bank, sold to the highest bidder to cushion the wallet, invested in the stock market to increase in financial value or displayed in a place of prominence for all to see the dollar signs around it? The heritage I speak of is far more precious than all of that. In fact, it’s worth is so valuable that no dollar figure can be assigned to it. It once was a common heritage left to families but it has become so rare now that few possess it. It is a Family Heritage.
It is an investment into ones family of time. It means instilling roots into their very fiber. Giving a link in a chain that connects them to either the past, future or present. This heritage gives them pride from the past or the present. It gives them hope for the futures. It defines a set code of values and morals that create a foundation of responsibility, guidelines and a target to achieve to make them better people when this code is challenged. It is a heritage that gives them a sense of worth and importance.
A family heritage is an opportunity to carry on or to create traditions in your family. A family heritage is a vision that if you are blessed, then it has been passed down to you. If it was not passed to you, it is your opportunity to bless your children and create a vision for yourself, your children and their children.
A vision for your family, a heritage of connections of the past, belonging in the present and dreams for tomorrow though its effects are tremendous, so much so that it can be life centering and world changing, it does not cost a single dollar. Its taught through daily living and meager means. This heritage is built one brick at a time. From simple things as walking with your children and sharing memories that you have of your youth or of what you hope for their youth. It’s the bedtime routine of cuddles and bedtime stories. It’s the morning ritual of waking them with a smile and praying with them for God’s protection and anointing. Its the dinner times, despite the days hectic schedule that all stops and all voices are heard, sometimes at once, to share their day, good and bad. It is the investment of you on your knees in prayer for their future and their family’s future. It is time in the presence of the Lord himself in focused prayer for your family. It is teaching them to value the old and defend the young. It’s opening your heart to them about hurts and joys, victories and losses, the ability to be serious and the joy to have an ease of silliness. It’s believing and relaying that belief to them that God put them in your family because that is where they belong. It is knowing and helping them to know that God has a purpose for them and if they will seek him, He will show them and guide them.
When we hear the word “traditions” we think of special occasions and how we celebrate those events, be it a birthday by waking the children up with a song (something we have always done). Thanksgivings feast of cranberries and pumpkin pie. Christmas carols, decorating and nativity. YES! YES! YES! A thousand times yes! These times most certainly do build into the family heritage that I speak of. But the real family heritage we leave is ourselves and knowing, believing and understanding that every action we make, every word we say, every prayer we utter lays the building blocks of the heritage our family will have access to.
We can bless the future heritage for our families by our actions and choices today or we can curse their future heritage overlooking the most valuable heritage we can leave our families, laying a brick every day.
I pray that your vision for your family’s heritage will be clear and focused and that you will be your families brick layer.
