Aging gracefully - leaving an inheritance

We have talked before about the inheritance that we will leave for our children and our grandchildren, for our family members and our friends, when we make our trip to heaven.

I'm not talking about the money in the bank account that will be divided up. I'm not talking about the house or the other possessions.

But you knew that, right? (Grin)

What legacy will we leave? As we age gracefully, that's something to consider. 

Especially because if we don't act intentionally to pass on our legacy, a legacy that is consistent with OUR beliefs and OUR values, our world will pass along its own . . . . and that's not good, as we have seen in our studies.

A positive legacy (from someone who is aging gracefully, instead of someone who is kicking and screaming against the years!) is SO important. A negative legacy can be destructive for generations. The good news is, we can decide which one to pass on! We can work at it, and we can pray for God to bless our efforts. 

Let's dig in, OK?

Some of us struggle each day to overcome a legacy that was left to us; it's a legacy that harms our ability to conquer the obstacles in our lives, and sometimes it harms our ability to trust God to conquer for us. As elders in a family or in a community of neighbors, we can nourish a child's spirit and support their emotions and growth. Older Christians are uniquely positioned to provide a stable, safe environment for conversations. We can nurture the child's identity and create the safe space that will encourage discussions without fear. Most importantly, we can model Christ's unconditional love for them.

As believers, we can also help them learn the social skills that will help them enjoy stable relationships. As they mature, they are going to need to learn how to get along with family members, teachers, and friends. Then they will take those fledgling skills and apply them to coworkers and others, like bankers, mechanics, salespeople, and (ugh) their bosses! Home (or the home of a friend) is the best place to learn these skills. It's so necessary to be an example to them, and to verbally instruct them when needed, so that they can learn respect, courtesy, and engagement. They need to learn that a disagreement is not a fight. That a discussion is not "yelling at them." (Sound familiar? This world is full of young people who have that issue!) 

Respect must be taught beginning with themselves, then working out to others. They must be assigned tasks so that they not only gain confidence, but enjoy a feeling of accomplishment when tasks are completed. And don't forget, even if I said it before - unconditional love. The boundaries needed for good social skills are best learned in a loving relationship.

Lastly, that all-important spiritual legacy. Passing along a spiritual legacy means much more than just parking them in a pew or a chair every time the church doors are open, as my grandma used to say. That's important, yes. But the church cannot do it all . . . 

When children look at their parents and grandparents, or if they watch us across the fence as neighbors, we must model the love, forgiveness, and strength that God extends to us. Children will think of God in that way, because they will see that we care for them - and we tell them that He cares for them, too.  Have we told the children in our midst that Jesus loves them? That God is personal? That He will forgive? Do we provide examples for them of not using His name in vain, or in a casual way? Do we example for them daily Bible study? Do we pray in front of them? Do we take the time to tell them why things are right or wrong? Do we tell them of the wonderful things that He has done for us in the years that we have trusted Him?
All of these are important ways to build up our legacy, the inheritance that we will leave them.

We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done. (Psalm 78:4)

But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children— (Psalm 103:17)

We've been talking for a couple of weeks about choices that we can make in order to age gracefully. I think building a strong inheritance may just be one of the most important; it for sure can have long-lasting results!