I’m a collector. If I can attach a special memory or person to an item, I keep it for nostalgia’s sake. This is especially true if it belonged to one of my grandmothers. In fact, buried somewhere in a treasured box is a dented, old silver salt shaker, standing alone as I never received the partner pepper shaker for some reason. But I still have it saved as it once belonged to one of my grandmothers, automatically making it something worth saving.
Recently, my daughter, Sarah, and I were talking about some of these precious ancestral items I’ve saved over the years. It struck me how, being sentimental, I was attaching too much value to them.
You see, I had always planned to pass these treasures onto my children. Yet I am learning that my kids might not want them. Even Sarah, who is much like me with her sentimentality and attachment to things, seems to have adjusted to a seemingly newer lifestyle embracing more of a minimalist approach.
In many ways, I envy this ability to purge and organize. Truth be told, I may not even remember the story behind many of my so-called valuables! But I have found a level of contentment knowing they’ve been kept safe on my watch. Yet lately, I can’t help but think about why these collections have been so important to me? I realize they have had more of a hold on me than I have had on them. Like old baggage, they have been carried from home to home, room to room, cupboard to cupboard!
It was in our conversation, that Sarah and I had a light bulb moment of revelation as God reminded us both of the greatest treasure of all… The most valuable commodity my grandmothers passed on is their FAITH! Both of them were godly women. Women who prayed, led, and followed after God. They loved God. They communed with Jesus. The Holy Spirit was alive within them. And I know there were days their prayers carried me, even if I didn’t realize it. Their true legacy is living on through me. Realization struck: I have a godly heritage! My mind knows this. My lips can speak this. It’s time for my heart to follow.
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven or above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6).
God never fails. Even as I write this, he’s speaking to my heart about these so-called treasures I’ve stored up over the years. Does my heart bow to them? Am I serving them? Or do they serve me? Where does my heart live? And what do I really want to pass on to the generations who follow me?
Today I am determined to let go of things and leave behind a more valuable treasure – faith in God. I want my legacy to carry on to a thousand generations by telling these children about the steadfast love of the Lord. I want to share miracle stories. I want my grandchildren to know God’s grace and faithfulness. I want them to know how they are, each one, a part of my testimony! They need to know that love doesn’t hurt, the devil is a liar and God will never, ever leave them. Today I will pray that my children pick up that mantle and that their children will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are loved by a faithful, loving God.
So I encourage you – have a conversation with the Lord, he delights in your time together and he has so much more for us.
Cindy Dullum and her husband live in Blaine. She enjoys spending time with family, camping, writing, studying God’s Word, and being creative. She has a passion to see women grow in their faith and encourage each other.