The inheritance

Every now and then, I pull out the old diaries that fell to me when Mom died a few years ago.  She was apparently the keeper of the journals and diaries of her ancestors; these volumes are rich with family information as well as historical tidbits from their day.

The diary I picked up today was dated 1907, and was written in the hand of my great-grandmother.  I immediately turned to the November 13 entry which was a Friday that year.

"Cold. Charlie here we put up big room stove & also coal stove in library ...did not have enough pipe. Pa went to Walton to get pipe...I finished pillowcases & done lots of other things. Got sup(per), Aunt Sarah went over to Pearl Fitsers in afternoon. Bill Tritt here for poultry; sold him 8 turkey hens for $9.96.  W. Devinney here got 2 turkey  hens & 9 chickens for $4.64. Brother B here at night, helped us fix stovepipe."

Exactly 104 years ago those words were written in pencil, in a small red leather book with lined and numbered pages.  The book is now faded, tattered and fragile, but the entries are like a time capsule taking me back to a time entirely unfamiliar to the life I know in 2011.

Even before reading any of my ancestors' writings, I have made efforts to journal also, in the hope that one day my words might have a lasting value of some degree to someone, if for no other reason than to note the passage of time and the change in our culture.  I saved a couple of my journals, and I have made stabs on computer also to record happenings and events for the purpose of sharing with generations after mine.  It isn't that I have a lot to say about today's world.  It's more about sharing my little corner of the world so that the generations following mine will see that some things never change.

It is a daunting task to write daily, as my forefathers did.  Several of them were prolific and wrote faithfully. Some entries are short and only include weather and what they had for dinner.  But this is at least a record for someone after them to read, thereby providing a glimpse - just a passing scene or two - of the life they led those many years before.

I have found in more than one of the old journals several references to faith in Christ and an active involvement in church.  This makes me smile, and it gives me hope that the faith I am planting in the hearts and minds of my grandchildren might some day come to fruition.  The inheritance of faith is the only treasure that matters.  Of all the "stuff" left behind by my parents, it is photos and these journals that matter the most to me.

The Bible has a lot to say about our inheritance and what we leave to others, also.  But it's not always about stuff....

Proverbs 12:22....A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.

Psalm 33:12....Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.

Colossians 1:12....giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Colossians 3:24... since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

As the holidays approach, it is another reminder to me that time waits for no one.  Seasons change, new life is born into this world, and at the same time other lives come to an end.  There is nothing any of us can do to stop the passage of time.  What we can do, though, is to make the most of the days we have.  Am I doing enough to spread the Gospel of Christ to others, especially within my own family?  Am I making the most of my days, or am I wasting time in frivolous and unnecessary activities?  How does my commitment to Christ "show" in my daily life?

Today with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I am praising God for my ancestors - and for my inheritance of not only relationships and people, but also my precious inheritance of saving faith.  What a delight it will be to one day find those members of my family among the saints in Heaven.  We have so much to talk about!

Colossians 1:11
...being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

In keeping with my original reason for launching this blog, today I am craving God more than ever.  I am finding Him present around every corner, in songs on the radio, in conversations with children, in emails from friends, in Bible study lessons, in expressions of love given and received.

Soon the table will be spread with Thanksgiving turkey and dressing and all the trimmings.  Before I get caught up in the Season, let it be said today that I praise God for giving me a heart that continues to beat and a mind that continues to work.  I praise Him for friends, family, technology, journals, inheritance of faith, abundance of food and an over-abundance of tangible stuff.  I praise Him for the opportunity work at a job that I love, to be intimately involved in the lives of people, and for His saving grace.  Truly, God is good.... all the time.