Kids are their parent’s legacy, even though both sides often try to deny this fact. One of the fun people watching exercises is painting the different pictures of kid’s parents by watching their antics as they shop in the mall. During the past few days I have seen parents who like to cut corners and those looking to exploit the weak contrasted by patience, kindness, and unusual acts of compassion. Solomon noted the obvious; “Intelligent children make their parents proud; lazy students embarrass their parents.” (Proverbs 15.20)
Some might assume there are external indicators; I could not see anything related to fashion preferences, hair style, or the manner in which everything came together in the kid’s walk, strut, or slide. A kid in sport team regalia was just as likely to something out of the usual for another as a walking prep billboard. As one watched the mall it was easy to see kids playing out life as a caricature of their parents, and most parents not seeming to being aware of it.
In too many ways the results of our actions and decisions leave a legacy wake behind us, kids being just one of the more obvious examples. Friends are pulled or pushed in different directions because of our choices. Parents react and find themselves moving in directions not of their own choosing as a result of a decision that we have taken. Siblings are guided in their journey by how we walk in ours.
I never thought of how I was my own parent’s legacy; I was just a kid growing up and taking control of my life as kids do. I often forget that I am God’s child as well. You are too. In fact, each of us is unique to God in ways that I do not profess to understand. God loves us knowing our weaknesses and failures. God wants only the best for us and that is why He completed preparations for our restoration by His actions at Calvary. The choices we make today are critical; to us and to God.
