Passing Down Heirlooms

Last week I was going through my closet for the youth’s semiannual garage sale at church. Trying to make sure I had rid it of anything I didn’t want, I came across this little dress which had actually belonged to me as a baby. (You can tell how old it is!) As a child, I used it as an outfit for my favorite stuffed pink rabbit named “Pinky.”

When my son, Andrew, was almost six years old, he saw Pinky at the top of my closet and asked me about her. I told him how my grandmother had given Pinky to me when I was three as an Easter gift. I slept with her for years. Too many to admit! Haha! I told him I had planned on passing her down to Elizabeth or him one of these days…Just a short while later, he came to me and asked, “Mommy, will you pass Pinky down to me?”

Seeing the worn pink dress made me think of the day he asked me that specific question. I thought of how he is seventeen years old now, and how I have and will be passing on much more than a stuffed pink rabbit to him and Elizabeth.

As a Christian mother, the prayer for my children is NOT if I am able to leave a large inheritance for them. When it comes down to it, forget the family heirloom china, silver, and crystal packed securely in the dining room buffet cabinet. My number one goal is not if they are left a large sum of money in the bank. My prayer is that my kids will keep their eyes on the Lord in every trial and every phase in life and continue to pass their divine dependence on to their children.

The Bible has a lot to say about inheritance using the word “inherit” or “inheritance” 260 times in the Old and New Testaments. Most of its use has to do with the land the tribes of Israel would inherit in the books of Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. God is in favor of leaving an inheritance, but He also talked about other things that should be passed down to our children.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
Deuteronomy 6:4-7

These verses show us that God wants us to teach our children through the Bible about Him and His love every day (and all day), so one day our children will pass it down to their children, and then they will pass it down to their children.

I claim Proverbs 22:6 and trust God that Wade and I have trained them well so far. I know I have failed many times; the older they get, the more I think how I would have done things differently when they were younger. Being a faithful Christian mother is an important heritage for my children and the future generations.

My parents and grandparents were faithful Christians. Their lives influenced my life starting at birth. In fact, my parents were serving in the church bus ministry when my mom was pregnant with me. She was having contractions one Sunday morning while working on the bus picking kids up for Sunday school. I came later that evening making them miss the evening service. 😉

What Christian heritage has been passed down to you? Maybe you didn’t have Christian parents or grandparents to impact your life for the Lord. But if not, start a Christian heritage NOW. Let is start with you!

What are you passing down to your children and grandchildren? Maybe you don’t have children, but know that you are influencing someone in your life whether it is a child, teenager, young adult, co-worker, family member, or friend. Whoever is in your sphere of godly influence, make sure it is just that – godly. Let us pass down a Christian inheritance that will continue to ripple down to generations to come. Those are the most valuable heirlooms. 💕