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Happy Legacy Day! Thanks Mom

Learning to love – or change – your legacy as you reflect on the importance of family.

It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday, and I for one am so grateful for my mother. Along with my father, she raised me and my siblings with all the resources they had.

There was a season of my life when I didn’t understand that as clearly as I do now. I’ve had very selfish moments of ingratitude where I regarded the best and the all of those resources as inadequate or insufficient. I realize now that my parents, like everyone, had some actual limitations. They were not raised with generational wealth, or perfect opportunities, or lives void of trials, mistakes and hurt, yet they gave me every good thing they could, and worked hard to prevent the bad.

As a father of four, I am painfully aware of my own insufficient resources like patience, understanding, finances, and everything else. I pray my kids won’t lack anything, though already they have, so I pray for a perspective of gratitude and grace to thrive in them.

Over the years, I’ve grown to see my mother as a person, with the bits and pieces of her life now assembled into an amazing story of overcoming. I can’t believe I was ever indignant about lacking anything. I am so proud to be a part of her story, and I work hard to represent her hopes and prayers for me, and the generations that will follow.

The dynasties of great family wealth, power and influence; kingdoms, monarchies and captains of industry, groom and prepare their children for their turn at running the world, and more, to consider, plan, and prepare their next generations for it as well.

My mom may not have had such a big picture view, but she and dad made a platform for me that was a little higher than the one they had, and I’m going to build on that, instead of squandering it in ungrateful disappointment that it was not good enough. I’m going to take what was given to me, and impact the next generations for good, for purpose and for destiny, regardless if I was completely prepared and groomed for it.

Legacy-minded people invest, equip and empower the next generations to go beyond where they have gone. My kids may not get it all from me, but like my mom and dad I’m going to give my all to them, and generation by generation we will grow into greater purpose, influence and resources.

This mindset improves my quality of life. My satisfaction is not because I didn’t lack any resource, but rather, in knowing that I am part of an unstoppable legacy of generations to come. The generations before me may or may not have known what they were getting me into, but I do, and the legacy begins with me.

If you came from a house of broken promises and failure, you can decide to pass on a legacy of honesty and success. If you grew up in small thinking, you can decide to be the first big thinker in your family. If your family was poor minded, you can decide to be the beginning of a rich and prosperous family mentally, emotionally and financially.

Maybe you didn’t get all the resources you needed, or maybe you’ve been selfish and dissatisfied with the best you were given; you can’t do a lot about the past, but you can do something great, something significant about the future!

Happy Legacy Day!