A Loving Legacy

This week we have the privilege of babysitting our youngest grandchild. She is 18 months old, busy as a bee, jabbering like a jay bird and loving as a lamb.

However, when that jabbering stops…I need to stop what I am doing to investigate. During the most recent lapse of sound, I found her in Ron’s overnight bag checking out the shaving cream and toothpaste…I won’t go into details…

She is a small page of the legacy I am leaving. This Bible passage grips my heart as I ponder what kind of legacy I am passing to the next generation.

“Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.’” Exodus 34:6-7

As I pondered throughout the day on this text above, so many thoughts came to mind. I had the benefit of a godly heritage. I knew all four of my grandparents. They each loved the Lord and each manifested it in a different way in my life. I lived my entire life in close proximity to my grandparents, which impacted me in a greater way.

My two grandfathers were totally different. One was a gentle, simple man who was warm, affectionate and kind. My other grandfather was important, stern and distant. I loved and esteemed them both. They both had their special part in the body of Christ, one loving and the other leading. My paternal grandparent died when I was 10, but his legacy continued through his children, one being my dad. My maternal grandfather was very involved in my salvation experience and also married Ron and I. He passed away in his 80’s.

I spent a lot of time with my grandmothers. My paternal grandmother was widowed at a younger age and I stayed overnight with her quite often. She was warm, rather excitable and fun! She loved to play games and was a whiz at Anagrams! My favorite snack at her house was crushed Saltine crackers smothered in milk! As I got older, I spent more time with my maternal grandmother, especially when I was going to college and I would stop at her home for lunch. Her specialty was a delicious ham salad with her own lime pickles chopped up in it! She was very interested in my life and would love it if I would sit and visit with her about the happenings. She was extremely hard of hearing, which made casual conversation difficult. After I was married with children, I can still see her with her crooked aged finger pointed at me saying, “You are working too hard!” I would laugh inwardly because it was she that raised ten children and worked her fingers to the bone as a farm wife! Each grandmother epitomized the traditional role of “grandmothers” with cookies and milk, aprons and a warm smiling welcome!