Leaving a legacy
We went to the streets to ask people, “what would you want your children to remember you by when you’re gone?”
What legacy do you dream of leaving for your own kids, or grandkids?
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I hope my son remembers a statement that I have been saying to him since he was 5 years old (he’s now 16)….”God is watching”. He’s heard it most of his life and has for the most part, made choices and decisions which coincide with this statement. I want him to remember what I taught him about being honest, forgiving, and non-judgemental….how the “good” path will save him one day so to stay away from the “bad” path. But it’s as the saying goes, our young learn from the examples we’ve set. I hope one day when I’m gone, he will continue as the wonderful young man he is now.
I have my funeral planned. I want the song When its all been said
and its all been done He’ll ask me did you go my way child; did you
know my Son? I have a cd withit ready. I want my children and
grandchilden to be able to answer that question in the affirmative for themselves. I want my funeral folder to state She loved because
she was first loved by God and her dear husband.
What you said really resonated with me, lulu. I know so many people who would say they are alone- even when they’re not.
You’ve experienced the difference between living in that loneliness and living with the constant knowledge that there is a God who cares about you. Having experienced that is probably what makes you wants to model it and communicate it to your children. But not just your own children, to anyone who is feeling that loneliness and would like to know how that isolation, that feeling of being invisible and without a purpose, can end.
I think people desire, deep in their heart, to be more than just a memory for their own kids. I think we all want to know that there’s a reason we’re here and that we have a purpose on this earth that is bigger than ourselves. Just to live so that our kids will smile fondly when they think of us after we’re gone isn’t enough for me. I know why I’m on earth and I know I haven’t been dropped here and left on my own. I want to encourage everyone I engage with to find out for themselves why they’re here and if there’s more for them in this life.
I have been in cities of a million people, and still felt alone and afraid, and yet deep within me is the truth that everywhere I go, God is there. I would like my children to recognize that – as a shield, as a rock, as a refuge. They have seen our prayers answered, delayed or immediate. They know that troubles are part of this earthly life. But Jesus has overcome the world. So I tell them, and show them in the way I live that I can do things, but those that I cannot do, I open my mouth and ask God to provide strength, grace and peace. Children, and adults, too, love that kind of anchor.
Something that we have to keep in mind when we watch this video is that heading out onto the streets of a city, you’re going to get opinions from people with many different faiths and religious backgrounds. That’s why we created this blog, to bring people from all backgrounds to a place where it’s safe to talk about things from your perspective and know that coming from where you’re at is okay.
The reason those people in the video didn’t mention God is because they don’t have a personal relationship with him and it is therefore not something they value to be passed on to their children. Why would it be? Sometimes it is easy, I know it can be for me, to start subconsciously thinking my worldview is everyone’s worldview. I’m not speaking about what view is right or wrong here, just the fact that it is how I see the world through my lenses of my upbringing, my faith, my family and my experiences. To expect the same response from someone with comepletely different lenses can derail your opportunity to earn the right to talk with them.
Until something becomes real to you, until it becomes part of your soul and the fabric of who you are… when your faith in God and your personal relationship with Him is central to your life, then it is something you want to share with the people you love. For me, I had to experience to know why it is worth sharing.
I can’t belive you talked to folks and didn’t have even one that desire that their children would remember their parents walk with the Lord. Without God how can you live and be what you need to be. If my children and grandchildren remembered only one thing about me I would want it to be about my love and obeyedence to God. That might lead them to know and love God themselves and follow Him all the days of their lives as well. Without God what have we got? Who are we without the Father who made us?
I would like my Grand children and Great-Grand children to remember me as a follower of God, a beliver in Jesus. A person who relied on the word of God for Wisdom and Knowledge and loved to sing them songs and tell them stories about how Great God really is. I would hope they could remember seeing the Christ that is in me. That they can say How much I really loved them and touched their lives forever by trusting in a Loving God.
I agree with Dawn that the general public wouldn’t be thinking about passing spiritual values on to their children. It is interesting though that people want their children to remember them as people of integrity. That would necessitate being people that live that way! Something to think about…how am I living my life and what do my children see?
I kept expecting a response that included spiritual values … but I’m not surprised. The general public would see these answers as valuable, and indeed, they are. But there is so much more that they miss.
I agree with everything Diane Dean White said in the previous comment. Leaving a legacy often happens by accident–and those are not the results we want. It should be a proactive choice. The Israelites made sure that they left “landmarks” behind for their children to remember God’s power and guidance (Joshua 4:21-24). We need to leave spiritual landmarks for our children and grandchildren–telling them how God has worked in our lives. We need to list the benefits of knowing Him (Psalm 103:2-5), and show His faithfulness. Our Father God is faithful to all generations, but our children and grandchildren may never know if we do not tell and show them. We need to show them how our choices–especially choosing to follow Christ–made a difference!
I was amazed that nobody wanted to share their love for the Lord with their children!! WE have always prayed that our Children would know by our walk and what we’ve shared with them, that living for Him and having a life that glorifies Christ is a beautiful legacy to leave.
Our children all know the Lord so they would expect our legacy to be as it has been, a Christian home with God as the Head, through our teachings and examples. They’ll remember quality time and the things we’ve done as a family because they were all part of a happy home that included the Lord.