What Heritage Are We Leaving Behind?
Many people love to read the Psalms. They are very nice to meditate on in a quiet moment of the day. I like to read the Psalms at night. It's the best time for me. The house is quiet, the dishes are done and I can sit down in peace and not worry about the phone or doorbell and just sit in a comfy chair and meditate. The Psalms are rich and just a little reading goes a long way.
Psalm 78:4 says this:
We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord. We will tell of his power and the might miracles he did.
How many times do we think about what heritage we're leaving with our children? Many think of material possessions like a house, money or even a classic car. Maybe it's a good education to get them started along life's journey. We can focus on these things and miss something really important. We can miss things that can't be measured financially. Like the commercial says....things that are "priceless."
Instead of a few pieces of furniture or a wedding dress from Gramma shouldn't we focus on such things as truth, love, peace, grace, mercy and gratefulness? Are they too old fashioned to pass down anymore? Aren't these the real valuables in life? I look at materialism as more of a distraction than anything.
I remembered, when reading this Psalm, a story about two men named Max Jukes and Jonathan Edwards. Both men lived at the same time in New York.
Max didn't believe in God or any Christian training at all. He would not take his kids to church even if they wanted to go. He had at one point 1,026 descendants and of those, 300 were sent to prison for an average term of 13 years, 190 were public prostitutes, and 680 were admitted alcoholics. His family at one point had cost the state in excess of somewhere in the vicinity of $420,000. His family made no measurable contributions to society.
Jonathan Edwards on the other hand loved God and became one very important preacher in history. Many still read his sermons and books he left behind. He made sure his children were in church every Sunday as he did the best of his ability to train them up in the love and admonition of the Lord. He, at one time had 929 descendants, and of those 430 were ministers, 86 became university professors, 13 became university presidents, 75 authored good books and 7 were elected to the US Congress. His family never cost the state one cent that anyone knows of anyway but they have contributed unbelievably to society.
Two men, two lifestyles, two heritages, and I believe two destinies.
The saying the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and that we will always reap what we sow comes into play as I think and meditate on these things. It's never too late to begin to sow good things for our children and grandchildren.