The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. (Psalm 16:6)

Every family has a heritage, a legacy passed from generation to generation. In truth, though, the heritage is something few parents really understand. Too many times we are not sure what it is or the impact that it has on our own lives – and on the lives of those we love.

Definition: A heritage is the spiritual, emotional, and social legacy that is passed to child… good or bad.

A legacy passed from any significant adult in a child’s life to that child. So any adult can pass on a legacy to a child they influence.

Building a sound heritage for the children we love isn’t beyond any of us. Building a heritage is not simply handing a child a list of dos and don’ts. Its about modeling and sharing values in the context of a loving relationship.

Let’s consider the heritages we’ve received from our parents – some good, some not so good. We’ll want to keep some parts of those legacies to pass along; some parts we’ll want to replace. That’s because we all want the best for the children we love.

Responsible, loving parents tend to instill the same in their offspring, and they in theirs, and so on. The good is passed from generation to generation just like the bad.

LET’S PONDER
On a scale of one to ten, with ten highest, rate your confidence that you’re leaving the children you love with the best possible heritage – one that will be a refuge for them in the years to come.

In the upcoming Parenting Devotions we will be looking a little deeper into the different heritages. May these devotions help us to know our heritage and consciously pass on the godly heritage to our next generation.