Are you being intentional about leaving a legacy of faith for your kids? Living your legacy in front of your Grandkids? Leaving a spiritual legacy is a priceless gift that takes intentional effort!

My Mom, Granny, and 2 Great Grandmas were there when I was baptized at age 17. These ladies have been very intentional in leaving a spiritual legacy for me and my brothers and cousins. The impact is Huge. Their faith in hard times, and their daily habits show us just how living your legacy looks, which will have an impact for generations to come.

And family memories, work ethic, character… Yes, I still have a lot to absorb from the 2 I still have with me!

There are many types of legacy. Each one has value, and can be done well, or misused far too easily.

• Financial
• Emotional
• Material
• Spiritual
• Character
• Work Ethic
• Family memories

Two of my favorite ladies like to sing the song “LEGACY” in church. (they happen to be mother and daughter, which is awesome!) Please take a moment to listen to this beautiful song before reading further. It is well worth your time, and will help frame leaving a spiritual legacy.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase through one of the links, I may make a small commission. I only recommend books and resources that I’ve enjoyed personally, or believe that you would like. You can read my full disclosure here. You will also find information on Scripture translations there.

? I received a copy of Leaving Your Mom Legacy from the author as part of the launch team. This did not make any difference in my review. All thoughts are my own.

Leaving a Legacy of Faith

As a mom, I want to leave a legacy for my boys. And leaving a spiritual legacy has many sides.

I want to leave a financial legacy, maybe not in cash, but a legacy of sound financial wisdom, for sure!

My goal is to leave them a legacy of emotional soundness. The power of a mother or father’s words is incredible! I hope that they keep their sensitivity and gentleness, and at the same time have the emotional strength to stand up for what is right, and support their loved ones.

A material legacy, now that one is tricky. I’m working to find a balance. I don’t want so much “stuff” that it’s a burden. But what I do have, and leave behind, I hope that it is valuable. Sentimental value and material worth.

We try to do something fun together on a regular basis. My great grandparents left many of these legacies behind, one being fun memories. When we gathered together for holidays we would spend a lot of time playing games and laughing. When we get together now, we play those games and remember the faith and fun of our heritage. These ladies here and here have some incredible ideas, that are easy and inexpensive.

Leaving a legacy of character and a good work ethic are going to take work on my part and on theirs. But if we keep at it, this is one of the most valuable legacies possible to leave to your children.

Most of All, Leaving a Christian Legacy

The most important legacy we can leave, though, is leaving a spiritual legacy as a Christian parent. This means we have to nurture our own faith in God and be real.

– Ready to forgive, but ready to ask forgiveness from our children when we mess up.

– Ready to admit we don’t know the answer and look it up together.

– To be able to learn along with them, and treat them with the respect due them as someone made in the image of God.

– To hold both them and ourselves to a higher standard. Not just “my friends are…”

– We get to worship together!!

Leaving A Spiritual Legacy: Your MOM Legacy

Kristina at Messy Tired Love has written a great new Devotional for mothers who want to have a plan. We have a finite time with our kids, and we need to be intentional with our motherhood.

Leaving Your Mom Legacy:

“And please hear me when I say that just because I’ve written these devotions doesn’t mean I have the lessons mastered. In fact, I’m convinced that God called me to write this devotional first and foremost as a way for him to get through to me.”

This devotional has 30 “lessons” but if you are a mom of Littles, you should plan on doing a lesson over 2-3 days, to avoid overwhelm. The reading can usually be done in one sitting, maybe 2, but the daily reflection is worth spending more time with.

– Time to think

– Time to pray

– And Time to plan

As a mom to 2 boys, there was a lot to this book that I will be repeating it a few times over the next decade.

Living Your Legacy of Biblical Motherhood

The first half of this devotional is a fun look at some of the moms in the scriptures.

I have often tried to guess what the women (and men) in the Bible were thinking and feeling (probably why I devour Biblical Fiction), so the highlight of this study for me is that we get to explore the possibilities! What was going on in Jochabed’s mind, after all?

We read the text and then wonder about the behind-the-scenes possibilities. What was she thinking and feeling when that happened? And we reflect on the uncontrollable, the tragic and the magical moments and learn from them. From their successes and from their failures.

Leaving a Spiritual Legacy Today

The second half is even more thought-provoking and gets much more into the toe-stepping realm. This is where the rubber hits the road with leaving a spiritual legacy.

First, Kristina steps on her own toes, then she turns around and asks “what about you?” which is awesome because it feels like we are learning and growing together instead of being ‘taught’ by someone who has it all together! (as far as I know, no one really does!)

When it comes to living your legacy, remember:

– God sees past your mistakes

See the lives of Eve, Rahab, Leah, and every other mom out there!

– Sacrifice is valuable

Hannah gave up her firstborn (With NO Guarantees!). She kept her promise. God honors that.

– Brag on God when you pray, at least sometimes!

Living Your Legacy

Living your legacy every day is hard. But the rewards are astronomical.

Read what Hannah prayed (1 Samuel 2) as she walked away from the Temple Without Her Son! Have I ever prayed like that? It’s amazing, and hard and beautiful!

– Trust God. Your kids are watching.

– Learning with your child is a valuable method of growth

As for spending daily time in God’s Word, both you and your children should. However, as you can see here, it’s entirely possible to do both at the same time. Reading Bible Storybooks or books with lessons together, you can pull out the grown-up’s moral and hear God’s whisper while you read a kid’s book.

This has a bonus. You can leave a legacy of a love for reading, while you are leaving a spiritual legacy! ??? Now that’s multitasking at its best!

– Stand for what is right, even when it gets very lonely!

When Kristina asks if you are a mom who is known for standing firm, I can say that in some areas, yes. In others, maybe not. I have a pretty good memory. This is a blessing, but also a weakness.

I rarely forget, so I have to be careful about what goes into the memory bank. If a book or movie or music has words and images that are inappropriate, I have to get up and leave. Otherwise, it will replay for years.

This does not make me popular with my brothers, and sometimes my friends. But I do it anyway. Proof that living your legacy, leaving a spiritual legacy, is tough sometimes, but still leaves you with a good feeling.

Leaving a Spiritual Legacy Beyond Your Immediate Family

If you are not a biological mom with children at home, leaving a legacy of faith is still possible. You can use this devotional to help you pour into someone else’s kids.

Whether you are working with kids at church or in your community, or that young adult you “adopted” (Thanks Nana, J, and J!), there are many ways for you to leave your legacy! Being involved and investing in someone’s eternity is an amazing privilege and a great blessing.

Well, what do you think? Are you ready to begin leaving a spiritual legacy together? Living your legacy is so worthwhile!

Until Next Time, Love God, Love Books, Shine The Light!!

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