The Legacy

And with your final heartbeat

Kiss the world goodbye 

Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus

Fly to Jesus

Fly to Jesus and live!

My grandparents made that final flight to Jesus this week. Grandma went last Sunday morning and Grandpa joined her seven days later. As I sat through two memorial services I was reminded of what is really important in life. My grandparents had worldly possessions, but those don’t matter. The most important thing that they left behind for their family is a legacy that lives on in each of their children and grandchildren.

As I was driving home tonight from Grandpa’s service, I thought about how to best describe the legacy that they have left for us. Two words came to mind: selfless generosity. Their legacy, while manifest in human terms, really began in heavenly terms. For without the love of Jesus Christ in their lives, their generosity was pointless, because it was for His glory that they gave of their time and resources.

The theme was repeated over and over as the patriarch and matriarch of the family were eulogized. Grandma sacrificed much to raise seven children, all the while maintaining an open door policy for anyone who came knocking. Grandpa embraced the Biblical concept that states, “To whom much is given, much is required.” He knew that God had blessed him so that he could bless others. The most notable thing about a legacy, however, is that it is lost if it is not embraced by posterity.

I have long since known that my own father is a recipient of this legacy, but only in recent years have I come to realize that he alone is not the sole beneficiary. As Grandma and Grandpa entered the sunset of their lives, I saw the torch of generosity being handed down from own generation to the next. Even as the sun settled deeper and deeper into the night, the light of this torch burned brighter and brighter, all the time illuminating the origin of the legacy. Grandma and Grandpa’s six remaining children were drawn close together, united by their common cause: to honor their parents. Now that they are gone, none would call it a sacrifice, for it was an honor for my dad and his siblings to usher their parents into Heaven, all the time making sure that they were never left alone.

The beauty of the legacy that was begun so many years ago is that it transcends economic barriers. You see, over the course of his lifetime, Grandpa made more money than most will ever see, yet also experienced poverty that few of us know. Even as eternity lingered on the horizon, his money spent and nothing more than the remnants of a lifetime remaining, Grandpa would worry about the small things that he could do for his family. Always the optimist, always the strong one, he refused to let his legacy die.

That legacy now rests firmly upon my own shoulders. I know that it is a part of who I am and the family into which God has so graciously placed me. It is my duty to model this tradition of generosity so that my own children can pass the torch to their children. For what good is a legacy if it is not embraced by posterity?