Can you think of someone who has had a huge impact on your life? What about another Christian who has inspired you in your faith? Those dynamic people are leaving a legacy for you and probably many others.
As Christian moms, we will want to leave a legacy of faith to our children. We should want the things we do to make an impact on future generations. Our life is not just about the here and now.
Leaving a Legacy Meaning
What does it mean to leave a legacy? While leaving a legacy can be a financial inheritance that you leave for your family, it is much more than that. A legacy also includes things you did to impact those around you. These may be tangible items, but they may also be lessons learned, character traits passed, or values shared.
A strong Christian faith is a legacy we want to pass down to our children. Kindness, generosity, integrity, and love for others are examples of other traits that we can pass down. Even things such as finding joy in hard times and serving those in need can impact those around us. These traits will inspire others to live in this way as well.
Leaving a Legacy Bible Verse
What does the Bible say about leaving a legacy? I was actually surprised at the number of Bible verses that talk about the importance of passing down our faith. As moms, we need to tell our children all about God, His character, and His commandments. Teach them that the Lord blesses those who are righteous.
1. Proverbs 22:1
“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” ESV
2. 2 Timothy 1:5
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”
3. Psalm 78:6-7
“that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;”
4. Psalm 112:2
“His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.”
What does the Bible say about the role of a mother? To learn more about being a godly mother, check out these 10 characteristics of a good mother according to the Bible.
Leaving Behind a Legacy
As moms, we are in the perfect position to greatly impact our families and those around us. Let me be clear; you will leave some kind of legacy. However, you get to choose what it will be.
Don’t you want to model what it looks like to be in relationship with Christ? Don’t you want your children to follow Jesus and then teach their children to do the same? No, we can’t make our children surrender to Christ, but we definitely can show them what that looks like.
Leaving a legacy quotes
I’ve found some great quotes about leaving a legacy. Even if you’re not famous, what you do and how you live can make a huge impact on the lives of those around you. Keep reading for a personal example of someone who left a significant legacy.
We will be remembered not by how much money we have left in the bank or by how many buildings and cars we owned, but by how many lives we have touched and transformed!
Uknown
“What we build in dirt will inevitably return to dirt; what we build in Spirit will Live to the End Of All Things.” ~Marrett Green
“A great man or woman may not be seen in the pages of history, but they are always found in the hearts of people they have touched.” ~Terry Mark
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” ~ Pericles
“What we do now echoes in eternity.”
– Marcus Aurelius
Leaving a legacy example
While I’ve been striving to encourage moms to leave a godly legacy before, I was really inspired to share after attending the funeral of my Nana. She had just turned 98 years old about a week before she passed. Thankfully I was able to fly from California to Pennsylvania to attend her funeral.
While it was sad to say goodbye, it was also a celebration. The funeral was packed. In fact, the funeral home workers said they rarely have to get out so many extra chairs, and that they wished they had known her.
My Nana left a godly legacy to her family by being hospitable, sharing Christ with those she came in contact with, and praying for her family, church, and missionaries. I also just found out why she never cut her hair. Like the woman in the Bible, she wanted to wash Jesus’s feet with her hair!!
Oh, and she was “just a stay-at-home mom.” This is why what you do and how you live matters. Even as a mom, stay at home or not, you can be an example of leaving a godly legacy.
Leaving a Godly Legacy
I have been inspired by my Nana to pray more for my family and show Christ by being hospitable. I want to leave a godly legacy to my children by living out my faith, by going out of my comfort zone to share Christ with others, and by being kind and generous.
What kind of godly legacy do you want to leave for your children and grandchildren? How do you want to impact those around you? As I said earlier, you will impact your family one way or another, so how can you be intentional about leaving a godly legacy? I’d love to hear your comments below.
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10 Characteristics of a Good Mother in the Bible