Last weekend, I decided to look for a Bible that either belonged to my Mom or my Dad in the boxes of family keepsakes I have. Instead of my big study Bible, sometimes I just want to read God’s pure Word and listen without all the “extras.” I wanted to read the words on the same pages they did to give me a connection to them across time, even though they’re both in Heaven now.
I found the box I was looking for and it was like opening a time capsule. Instead of just old books, I saw – a legacy. There was a tiny New Testament that belonged to my Grandma Carlberg, several very old Bibles in Swedish, and many others from both sides of my family. I looked inside the cover of each one and saw the names of who they belonged to: my parents, grandparents, and even older relatives. Some were given as a gift after finishing confirmation classes.
So which one did I choose? A thin, leather-bound New Testament with the Psalms in the King James Version that belonged to my Dad. I remember him carrying it on the inside pocket of his suits. I was reading it last night and found a single note he wrote on one of the back pages which said: 1 John 5. Now back in the day, my family very rarely underlined or wrote in their Bibles, probably out of respect for the Scriptures, so when I looked it up I was surprised he had underlined verse 13 which said:
“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”
This stopped me in my tracks. I realized these words were as true today as they were the day my Dad underlined them – decades ago. In fact, they were written for all believers for all time for us to know that if we “believe on the name of the Son of God” we can be certain that we have eternal life. My Dad did and that’s how I know he received this promise and is in Heaven now. I believe it too.
Then I looked at the other Bibles in the box that had publishing dates like 1908 – 118 years ago! I realized the words they contained were the same and also just as true when my grandparents and great-grandparents read them. Not just in English, but in Swedish too. Or for that matter, any Bible in any language!
I visualized a thread of connection that went back not only a hundred years, but thousands of years to the time God’s Word was given to us, book by book. We can also be confident that the text has been accurately preserved, as the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Old Testament proved between 1946 and 1956 (among many other confirmations of all 66 books). The strong thread of truth is unbroken from ancient times to today, although many have tried to break it. The truth belongs to God and He will never let that happen.
The other Bibles I found in the box were the ones given to me. One was a little New Testament from my parents on Christmas Eve when I was five, before I could even read! I still remember carrying it to church anyway. My parents passed the Christian heritage of my family roots on to me, but it was up to me to believe it on my own – or not. They lived what they learned in God’s Word and taught me by example every day about how to love, serve, give, be faithful, and to always be thankful.
But, like 99% of all kids/teenagers, I rebelled. However, I had prayed to become a Christian when I was four (about the time I got that little New Testament). The tiny seed of truth that was planted then was stronger than all the rebellion and prodigal years to come. It grew anyway. I can say from my own life that Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) is true and came full circle for me. I added the (s) to include both he and she:
“Train up a child in the way (s)he should go: and when (s)he is old, (s)he will not depart from it.”
What about the legacy of your family and your life?
- Maybe you grew up in a Christian home too, but blew it off and went your own way. You can return to your faith in God by your own choice today.
- Maybe there was an older person in your life, like your Grandmother, who read her Bible and went to church but your parents didn’t. They forgot God and that’s how you were raised. You can pick up the thread where she left off and start it again in your family.
- Maybe you were taught a different faith or none at all. You can start a new chapter in your life and family by having faith in God and following Him now.
RESET HIGHER: What legacy are you building?
How will you be remembered? That you liked to party? For your stuff? For a recipe? Or for a life much more than that?
I love the family recipes that were handed down to me that I make at the holidays, but I’ll take that verse my Dad underlined over any of them. Enjoy those traditions, but make a true legacy that’s deeper, that inspires those you know and even future generations, built on faith in God that lasts for eternity. It’s up to you. It’s your legacy!
