I picked up some advice from a mentor about 14 years ago. He told me a legacy worth leaving involves memories worth repeating.
The kind of legacy that continues long after we are gone doesn’t happen all at once. It’s built steadily over time. We imprint our values, what is most important to us, on future generations by consistently including our kids and grandkids in acts of service, relationship-building family gatherings, wisdom-imparting traditions, and regular quality time together.
Spending intentional time together as a family – even in short snippets – can help establish and pass on your family values, like the value of giving. The foundation you lay with your own family becomes the foundation upon which future generations are built.
Time: The key to a strong foundation
Whether your kids, grandkids, nieces, or nephews are two years old or 52 years old, now is the time to evaluate and create family traditions. Spend time in prayer, pinpoint a few values or pieces of wisdom you would like your legacy to include, and consistently find time to engage with future generations around those values.
You don’t have to start from scratch, either! Likely, your family already has well-established traditions. Think of ways to prioritize and build on those, and brainstorm a few new ideas for intentional time together.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
7 ways to use your time to make memories worth repeating
- When kids are young, schedule biannual donation days (strategically scheduling these before birthdays and Christmas could be beneficial to you!). Help them choose good-as-new items they have outgrown or no longer use and give them to someone who needs them more. Whether you have toddlers or teens, begin as early as possible to regularly nurture attitudes of service and giving.
- As kids get older, encourage volunteering, such as cooking for others, working on projects, or serving those in need. Think beyond the holidays and the popular soup kitchen options. Pay attention and look for regular opportunities to bless those around us.
- Use family vacation time to create significant core memories. Take family mission trips together. Discover new cultures and highlight the value of bringing God’s love to all people.
- Use time you’ve already carved out, like family dinners or time spent chauffeuring kids from place to place, to talk about how to impact the world for Christ. Get everyone involved in the conversation by asking for ideas about how your family can give, serve, share, and grow.
- Give your kids and grandkids money earmarked for giving. Create a family pool of money, then make time for a big family meal to decide as a group what your family will support together.
- Open a Giving Fund (donor-advised fund) with the National Christian Foundation as a wedding or graduation gift for each adult child as they reach that significant milestone. Tell them how you use your fund, and share your favorite causes to support.
- Look for opportunities to catch your children and grandchildren being generous. Call out those times and praise them. Whether a young child is letting someone go in front of them in line or an adult family member is bringing a meal to someone in need, everyone is encouraged by their goodness being recognized by loved ones.
As you try some of these, you’ll find that, while your kids are learning how to live, you are learning how small, consistent, intentional moments add up over the years, creating a culture of family generosity. Your kids and grandkids will eventually learn to make their own giving decisions. But they learn it first from watching you, time after time.
That’s your real legacy.
