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| Mr. & Mrs. Charles Phinney |
By Jess Phinney
History. Generations. Past. Future. What do those words invoke in you? YOU, the one living in the present, having a past and what you do with it, affect’s the future. Quite frankly, even by choosing to do nothing, you have already chosen something. What will you choose to do?
Let me share a little background on why I have been meditating on this and felt compelled to share with you. This month holds the anniversary of nearly all 4 of my grandparents deaths. I said goodbye to 3 of them in a 5 year time period. Carl Ver Steeg- April 1, 1995, Druscilla Ver Steeg-March 23, 1998, Charles Phinney-March 3, 2000, and in 2010 I said goodbye to my surviving grandparent, Lelah Phinney on-March 26. With each death I grieved the other grandparent all over again and a hole was left in my heart that will never be filled. Honestly, I don’t want to ever not feel the ache of their absence in my life.
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| Mr. & Mrs. Carl Ver Steeg |
They left me a variety of legacies, one of faithfulness, prayer, dedication to the Lord, and a love for their family that left you thankful someone taught you how to love outside of yourself. A love that came from a relationship with Jesus Christ. However, they also left a legacy of things that most families would be tempted to forget. For instance, I barely had relationship with my Grandpa Phinney and when he died, I grieved not the love we shared, but the love we didn’t share…and how little I really knew the man I called Grandpa. Most of the stories I had heard about him were not filled with good memories. For most of his life his actions went directly against how he was raised, and against the Word of God. Then I got to thinking he still left me something, whether I want it or not! The question really is: What will I choose to do with what they left me?
I have already seen the manifestation of their life choices affecting my own. I am very grateful that my parents (raised in two separate worlds), have such a passion for Truth and a belief that leaving a legacy matters. They have spent their lives investing in their children because they knew it wasn’t just all about them. They taught us the value of our heritage, even how our roots were tied to coffee! J. They understood their choices would affect ours and so forth and so on. Now DON’T get me wrong I’m not telling you to blame your mistakes on your family tree! Each person is responsible to the Lord for their words and deeds. However, I don’t believe we think enough about the fact that our choices are always affecting someone….ALWAYS. From the simple things like how we greet the day and the clothes we wear, to the more “complex” choices of how we live our faith as we walk this earth. We tend to make things more difficult than we ought to. God’s Word was designed to set us FREE, not have us walking around like someone with a noose tied around our neck and the attitude that it’s something “we must bear”. In what way are we living our faith in Jesus Christ? Is it law or life more abundantly?
Let’s take a look at a few passages that suggest just a hint that generations and legacies are important to God.
Genesis 9:12 (NASB) “God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations;’”
Genesis 17:7,9 (NASB) "I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you… 9God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.”
Psalm 71:18 (NASB) “And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.” (emphasis all mine)
I could continue! Countless times, God uses the word generation and descendants. Ever notice how many chapters of the Bible are just chalked full of genealogies? Instead of just sighing and flipping for something more interesting to read (I too have been guilty), take a minute and look around at the surrounding context. What was happening and what is the LORD trying to communicate by placing it there? He has purpose in our family lineage. Yes, that includes YOURS!
