A Goodly Heritage

There is nothing like moving house to show us that we have a lot of things that we don't really need — and perhaps never did. These were things that we could not live without, so we thought when we bought them, but as we downsize, we realize how unimportant they are now. However, moving is also a time when we find things that we had forgotten about. That is what happened to me. My father was a very handy man, and he did a lot of carpentry work at one time or another. Among the things that I inherited were two handsaws: a fine-toothed one for crosscutting, and one with larger teeth and a wider set for ripping lumber. These saws had been hanging in my basement workshop since 1987, and now, there they were. Although they were somewhat older and covered with dust, they brought back memories of my dad doing his carpentry work and wood-working in his workshop. And it reminded me of other more important things that our parents passed on to us.

I love the remembrances that Paul mentions in the opening of his letter to his friend Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:3-5 – I thank God … as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. (NKJV)

When our parents leave this earth to be with the Lord, they don't just leave us material things, they also leave us their faith in Christ. I remember the evenings when mother used to read to us from the Children's Bible, and how my dad would pray at every meal, and how we went to church every Sunday. That was the "goodly heritage" (Psalm 16:6 KJV) that they passed on to us.

We brought the saws with us when we moved. I took them to my little workshop in the basement, and the other day, I cleaned them up. I took the wooden handles off and sanded and stained them. I cleaned the rust off the blades, and I am going to paint some Dutch winter scenes on them for my two Jongkind grandsons: a memory of their great-grandfather and the land where he came from. And I am going to tell them about him again and how he influenced our lives then, and still does, to some extent. Hopefully, I can pass that "goodly heritage" on to them.

May the Lord grant that by our own lifestyle and the grace of God, our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren may be able to call to remembrance the faith of us, their parents and grandparents — the faith that is also with them.

Prayer: Our Father in heaven, so many of us have been blessed to have been raised in a Christian home with Christian faith and traditions. We pray, Lord, that as we pass these on to our children, both they and we can also pass them on to their children and grandchildren. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

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