Momentum (Christ – centred, Spirit – empowered, Mission – focused)
Dave Hearn, President of the C&MA Canada
Because we love you so much, we were delighted to share with you not
only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
Whenever our family is together, we have a tradition of a girls’ night out and a boys’ night out. Agnes takes our daughters for a meal and shopping and I take my sons-in-law out for sushi and a movie. I also ask them a few soul questions. There are some awkward pauses at times, but eventually we are all sharing openly and honestly with each other.
These moments are powerful. I get to deposit something in these young men that I hope will mark their lives and their leadership.
In a sense, I am depositing currency in the bank of legacy. Mark Batterson in Chase the Lion states, “An inheritance is what you leave FOR someone, a legacy is what you leave IN someone. Your legacy isn’t your dream. Your legacy is leveraging the dreams of those who come after you.”
When Agnes and I are called home to be with Jesus, a lawyer will open our will and each one of our children will receive their inheritance. But we want to leave them more than just money. Our greatest gift is to impart to them our lives.
Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2:8 declares, “Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
That’s legacy! Paul wanted the believers at Thessalonica to not only experience the redemptive power of God to save them, but he wanted them to know the blessing and affirmation of a spiritual father. His joy was depositing something “in” them that would inspire them to live into the fullness God had prepared for them.
What are you leaving for the next generation? Your kids will appreciate their future inheritance, but they long for more—they want legacy! They are hungry for the conversations, affirmations, and deep “soul” deposits that expand their hopes and push them toward their God-given dreams. Is it time to go out for sushi?
Please find the original version in C&MA website