I kind of had thoughts of "what we pass along to our children" last week -- I'll explain why shortly. Then, our sermon on Sunday was about legacy. We saw this video of a wonderful young man at our church:
Then I came home to read this article in our paper -- that tells of the most recent homicide in our town. A mid-30's woman was killed exactly how her own mother was: in front of her own home by domestic violence. That lady has a daughter and granddaughter already. What is their legacy? Do they have any hope?
Yesterday I visited with a young mom who mentioned that she isn't close to her mom, and hasn't ever been. From watching her with her own girls, I know she is intentional about changing that emotional legacy.
Before Sunday my thoughts were of financial legacy. Part of my staff development over the last year has included reading this book: A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne. She uses the phrase "generational poverty" to describe those whose habits and lifestyle will keep their family at poverty level through several generations. I visited with a gentleman last week that illustrated this clearly, while my work brings me in contact with people in the same situation. Later I would like to devote a post to that -- generational poverty and the habits that keep people there. I find it interesting and eye-opening, but I'm not sure I will ever "get" not wanting to change that legacy.
I'm sure specifically talking about financial legacy sounds shallow and materialistic of me, but I think as we ourselves prepare for our future and our children's future, we leave them a legacy of security and generosity. Or, I should say, we can. We could also leave them a legacy of greed and hoarding.
All of it -- spiritual, financial, and behavioral legacy has given me pause. We all KNOW that we are passing along a legacy to our children. Just sometimes I wonder if it's the one I WANT to leave.
My favorite quote through all of this is from Chris, the young man in the video. He said, "My family history doesn't define me. God defines me." If I can instill THAT in my children, we're good to go.
