Leaving a Legacy

Samuel Wesley, the father of great preacher John Wesley, was a dedicated pastor, but there were those in his parish who did not like him. On February 9, 1709, a fire broke out in the rectory at Epworth, England, possibly set by one of the rector’s enemies. Young John, not yet six years old, was stranded on an upper floor of the building. Two neighbors rescued the lad just seconds before the roof crashed in. One neighbor stood on the others shoulders and pulled young John through the window.

Samuel Wesley said, “Come, neighbors, let us kneel down. Let us give thanks to God. He has saved all my eight children. Let the house go. I am rich enough.”
John Wesley often referred to himself as a “brand plucked out of the fire” (Zech. 3:2; Amos 4:11). In later years he often noted February 9 in his journal and gave thanks to God for His mercy. Samuel Wesley labored for 40 years at Epworth and saw very little fruit; but consider what his children, John and Charles, accomplished! (The Wesley brothers, John and Charles, were leaders of the evangelical revival in the Church of England in the eighteenth century.)

Leaving a legacy – what does that mean to you? Dictionary.com says that a legacy is “anything handed down” as in an “inheritance.” With this in mind many people figure that a legacy therefore is left by working hard in this life to ensure that should anything happen to them their children will be taken care of financially, be it through monies left, insurances, a house, collections, and so on. And whereas ensuring the best for our children’s future is a good thing to do as parents, we should not view this as our only legacy or responsibility, because as believers we are responsible for leaving a much more important legacy for them.

Proverbs 22:6 tells parents, “Point your kids in the right direction, when they’re old they won’t be lost.” (The Message)

I remember once speaking in a church service on this issue and afterward I was asked by a woman, “How do you point your kids in the right direction?” After giving it a little thought I said, “We are point our kids in the right direction by showing them the way.” Confused the woman asked, “And how do we show them the way?” My answer, “By example – Through our love and teaching, and by our lifestyle choices and the way we live for God in this world.”

I grew up in a bad neighborhood and many times as a boy I witnessed firsthand parents who neglected their children in favor of alcohol and drugs, some even beating their kids for the slightest thing. Years later I witnessed those very same kids, now as adults, neglecting their own kids, beating them, and so on. I call this the legacy of the vicious circle.

On the other hand, as a boy I saw from afar a few godly parents who raised their children to love the Lord and love others. In turn many of these kids, now as adults, have become godly followers of Jesus who in turn are now training their own kids to love God and others. And this is what the Word points to as being a good and lasting legacy.

The simple truth is if we don’t take the time to talk to our kids about God and Jesus and the Bible how can we expect them to continue following that which they know nothing about? Not only that, but if we only do the Christian thing on a Sunday morning and then spend the rest of the week watching TV, gossiping, and neglecting the Word, what is this teaching them?

In short, if we place any value whatsoever on God and our children we will introduce them to one another in the hopes that they will begin a relationship of love that will be passed down from generation to generation, a love will last many lifetimes and beyond. Now as a parent I can think of leaving no greater legacy than that!

Christian St John M.Div, BChM, ACS
June, 2009

Picture by Glenda Otero