Proverbs 13:22a – Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren. (NLT)

Leaving an inheritance has meant very little in my family — at least where it concerns money.

My maternal grandparents were the only ones in my family who accumulated a tidy sum of money. But even what they had wouldn't be considered much by today's standards. Yet, in the eyes of a fifteen-year-old, it was. When my grandfather died, we discovered that he had a nice chunk in savings and in his chequing account. However, I doubt that my grandmother ever knew. He didn't allow her to touch the money, pay the bills, or make financial decisions.

Though quite thrifty in life, my grandfather was a little more generous in death. In his will, he delegated a nice little sum to each of his grandchildren. It wouldn't seem like much now, but it was a gold mine to this teenager. I forget what I did with mine, but I do remember that my spendthrift parents made sure that I used it wisely.

But money wasn't all that my grandfather left me. He also left me many good memories of a simple life around the farm. I don't remember his showing me affection or telling me that he loved me. Nor do I remember his speaking words of encouragement or sharing wisdom for the future. But I did have his unspoken example.

On the other hand, my paternal grandparents left me something different — although it did not come as a monetary inheritance. From them, I received bunches of hugs, hundreds of I-love-yous, time together, financial help when I struggled, and many words of wisdom for the future. What they left served me better than a sum of money.

At the moment — and as far as I know, no change is in the cards — I won't leave my grandchildren money either. As my paternal grandparents did for me, I will leave my grandboys the example of a meagre financial lifestyle.

But that's okay. My grandparents taught me that money can't buy everything and that some things are more important than money, such as my spending time with my grandchildren around the table eating a meal, sitting in my recliner reading Bible stories to them, sitting at a table doing handiwork that teaches how God created the world, or taking them to church.

I'm not "spending my grandchildren's inheritance". Instead, I'm leaving my spiritual heritage intact for them. Hopefully, they'll pass it on to theirs.

What are you leaving for your posterity?

Prayer: Father, may we leave for posterity what can never be spent. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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