Family Legacy

www.MarysvilleNaz.org 

Legacy is one of those things that modern culture confuses with a Will.  Don't get me wrong, a Will is a very good thing.  If you don't have one you need to get one but a Will is really a very small part of one's legacy.  

Legacy is about how you are remembered and what kind of influence you leave behind.  It's kind of like the wake of a boat.  The boat has moved on but there are still waves influencing other boats.  

It is not possible to pass through this life without impacting others.  The people most impacted are your children and grandchildren.  These little ones are watching you all the time, even when you think they aren't and they are little sponges.  Your words, actions and attitudes are all being absorbed and will one day come out through the vessel of their own lives.  

Have you ever noticed that families have tendencies?  I've met families that have been angry for generations... anger is their family legacy.  I've seen addictions past down as legacy.  In fact I've seen dysfunction of every kind passed to the next generation. 

Parents, there is no better reason to break the cycle of (fill in the blank) than to leave your children a better legacy than your parents left you.  I've witnessed the joy as a generation chooses to be the last to suffer from a bad legacy and I've seen the pain when they didn't care enough to change.  

I've also met lots of folks that passed down really great family legacies.  Multi-generational military service is one.  I've known families in which owning a successful  businesses happened in each generation.   I've know families whose legacy was medicine, or art, or music, or service or  ministry or... well you get the idea.  

So what do you want to pass to your children and grandchildren?  Here is what I know for sure.  What you live, they will do.  So you need to be intentional.  Great legacies don't just happen they are created on purpose.  

So get that Will done, it's important but even more important is getting series about your family's legacy.   

If you want to learn more about leaving a strong Legacy I invite you to check out our teachings series.  We are calling it "Legacy, Living for something more than yourself." 

You can watch online at  

http://www.marysvillenaz.org/index.php/resources/sermon-video

Listen to audio or download a podcast at http://www.marysvillenaz.org/index.php/resources/sermons/serie/13-legacy

You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.