Sunday

An Inheritance Anyone Would Love

He received an inheritance anyone would love.

As he shared the details at his father's funeral, I marveled at the great gift he possessed. Unlike most inheritances, Paul began receiving the benefits long before his father died, but we were only now hearing about it.

Paul was a missionary and traveled all over the world with a large organization. Every time he'd return home to visit his father, his father would bestow a bit of the legacy upon him, to carry with him as he went. "I want to be sure your needs are met,"  his father would say.
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And he would bow his head, place his hand on Paul's shoulder, and pray for him. He would commit him to God, asking God to empower and equip, protect and provide for, and use him to advance the Kingdom.

Every time Paul left, his father would pray for him.

As his father aged, Alzheimers disease began to rob him of names, faces, and memories.  One crisp day in September, Paul stopped in briefly to see his dad between international trips. As he watched his father grope in the darkness and confusion that is Alzheimers, Paul realized that his memory slate had been wiped clean. Even Paul's name--the name of his own son--had been taken from him. At the close of their time together, Paul embraced his father and said goodbye.


At the doorway, a divine hand paused his steps, and he turned back. His father sat where he had left him, stooped and frail in his chair. His eyes were closed. Thinking him asleep, Paul turned to go, until a movement stopped him. As he watched, his father, who couldn't even recall the day of the week or the names of his children, bowed his head, clasped his gnarled hands together, and began to pray. And Paul knew, as he had for over half a century, that his father was praying for him.

Later that evening, his father died.

Paul now carries the priceless legacy that his father faithfully prayed for him until the day he died. And those prayers reach farther than the grave as Paul continues to reap the benefits.

This true story prompts me to ask myself, what legacy will I leave my children? What legacy will you leave yours? When they think about the last time they saw us, what will their memories be? 


If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy: "Why funerals aren't all bad."









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11 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:37 PM

    Thank you for this post, I have been praying for my little hunny bunch every night and it is helping our relationship, I hope that when he thinks of me, he thinks of me as the mum who prayed. xx Tara.

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  2. You know, Tara, we wonder if they even care that their mom prays for them, but as they get older, they realize the great gift they've been given. One day as I was listening to my daughter do a phone interview for an internship position, the man asked her, "Who is one of your spiritual examples?"
    "My mom," she answered, "because she prays." It was one of the most special times of my life thus far. Keep praying!

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  3. What a wonderful story! To know that your parent prayed for you their whole life....

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  4. Beautiful. My husband's father did that and my husband prayed with our daughters each time they left the house. Still does. It's been a beautiful part of their relationship.

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  5. This is such a special post. I cared for my husband's Aunt for a month a number of years back. She had dementia of the worst sort but when she prayed, she had such clarity. Thank you for linking up over at WholeHearted Home this week. I hope that this post encourages many moms to pray for their children.

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  6. Wonderful story, Lori. Thanks so much for sharing it. It brought tears to my eyes.

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  7. What an inspiring story and a reminder to all of us of what a true legacy really is. I'm stopping by from Thrive at Home. Blessings from Croatia: Rosilind from A Little R & R: www.littlerandr.org

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh my...what a blessing this story is! Thanks so much for sharing it on my link up this week! :) Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a beautiful story! THanks for sharing and thanks for linking up!

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