“I even wash aluminum foil so I can use it again–if it’s not too messy,” joked a friend. “My son makes fun of me, but that’s what my mother did, and I just picked up the habit. Seems so wasteful to throw away a perfectly good piece of foil, just because it has a bit of goop on it.”
We were discussing the frugal habits passed down to us from our parents. They were children during the Great Depression, and learned to conserve, reuse, and make do. Now, eighty years later, the effects of that difficult time are still impacting many of us today.
Might the same effect occur in the spiritual realm? Might our spiritual habits not only impact those around us, but even generations to come?
An anonymous psalmist alluded to our long-reaching influence: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed…his righteousness endures forever” (Psalm 112:1-3).
James Moffatt (1870-1944), theologian and professor, also spoke poetically of our ongoing influence: “Death is never the last word in the life of a…man. When a man leaves this world, be he righteous or unrighteous, he leaves something in the world. He may leave something that will grow and spread like a cancer or a poison, or he may leave something like the fragrance of perfume or a blossom of beauty that permeates the atmosphere with blessing.”
Who has left “something like the fragrance of perfume or a blossom of beauty” in your life? I am surrounded by the examples of:
- my grandparents’ perseverance
- my father’s wisdom
- my mother’s resiliency
- a favorite teacher’s sense of humor
- a choir director’s positive attitude
To name a few.
When I was a small child, our family’s pastor called each of us girls “Little Miss Sunshine.” I found myself trying to live up to the name. Now, decades later, I still feel the influence of his affirmation.
As a teenager I benefited greatly from the examples of various youth sponsors. One married couple in particular took me under their wings and mentored me. Their example of integrity, service, and caring, lived out in a loving home, remain with me to this day.
And so many more! We really are composites of the countless influences we’ve absorbed.
Now, it’s our turn to pass on a worthwhile legacy. We mustn’t give in to the notion that Generations X and Y will always find us irrelevant. One day they’ll realize older persons have the benefit of experience, and experience gives rise to wisdom. And whether we are present on that day or not, our example will be.
Most of what they absorb will not be the words we have spoken. They will remember our actions. Kids watch and learn–sometimes intentionally, but most of the time not.
We are the ones who need to be intentional, living out a legacy of character and faith, to be a perfume of blessing. If we do, the fragrance of our Christian maturity will permeate the atmosphere for years to come.
We can also be encouragers. Others will remember positive affirmations. At least one Little Miss Sunshine can attest to that.
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(Photo credits: www.jeaninemurk.com ; http://www.telegraph.co.uk ; http://www.inspiredwednesdays.blogspot.)
From the Inside Out 