An Inheritance for my Children’s Children

The grandchildren and great-grandchildren called my great-grandmother “Muddy. Her friends called her, “Mayme,” but she is my partial namesake, “Mary Eva.” I remember when I was about 2 years old, meeting her. She offered me a chocolate from a box she had beside her chair. I was shy; she was generous. I found her prayer-book one day when I was in high school. It was filled with notes, underlined passages that reached out to me.

Springtime makes me think of the seeds we plant, springtime and harvest. I take comfort in the spiritual heritage planted by my great-grandmother, who loved the Lord. I am thankful for the blessings she stored up for me – not financial, but spiritual.

“Good people leave an inheritance for their children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.” Proverbs 13:22

Two generations later, my spirit-man reached back and grabbed hold of my grandparents’ spirit man to reclaim the blessings. I didn’t need their blessings to be pulled from the curse, but it was an inheritance that said, “I planned this for you. I loved you before you ever existed. I knew hard times would come, but here is something to help you out of those times.” Kind of like my great-grandmother had a box with a beautiful gift inside, but no one every came to pick it up. It was there for all the children and all the grandchildren. She was just waiting to share this inheritance she stored up for us.

“But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children”—Psalm 103:17

Seed time and Harvest – My Great Grandmother planted seeds. I gathered the harvest of those seeds. They were there for me. And I re-plant those seeds for my children’s children. Or at least, I try to.

I am thankful daily that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” [ Deut. 21:23]

And I am thankful that the generational curses of the Bible are broken over my life because of Jesus. I have gone through my “emotional” backpack to make sure I was not carrying junk that wasn’t mine, like my father’s adultery and his rejection. I pulled those weeds out of the garden of my inheritance. His actions are not “my cross to carry” – or my seeds to re-plant. Jesus said his yoke was easy, but his burden light. When we take up the cross of Christ, we lay down our burdens. Jesus came so we would not have to carry those crosses society and satan have thrown on our backs, or harvest those weeds that choke out good things. Jesus died on the cross to deliver us from sickness, depression, physical and emotional pain, guilt, rejection or whatever weed is choking out the garden of your life.

I am sure not all my seeds are good seed. My sons can vouch for that. Sometimes they try to probably dig up the seeds I try to plant in their lives. And then, I follow behind, replanting, weeding, sometimes making progress, sometimes making a mess.

And then today, I thought about my great-grandmother. How she reached out to me – giving me a gift, an inheritance – and I want to be like that – for my sons, yes, but for their children and their children’s children. I want my treasure I gather up to be an inheritance for them – a Godly inheritance that sustains – that reaches out and steadies them or points the way or just loves – trickle down blessings from Granny Blue Cotton.

Yes, I am trying to plant seeds for my sons.
I am storing up an inheritance for them.
For my children’s children.
It seems so fairy-tale-ish, so magical,
but it is so God!