Most people think of a legacy as something material that is passed onto the next generation, but have you ever thought of leaving a model of a healthy marriage to your children as a legacy?
Don’t we all want our children and grandchildren for generations to come to have strong and healthy marriages? For some of us we have to overcome the effect of bad marriages that were modeled to us in our homes growing up, and for some we have to overcome our own present difficult situations to have a healthy marriage.
One day there will be people sitting around a dinner table celebrating Thanksgiving and sharing what they are thankful for. You and your spouse’s picture may or may not be on the walls in the living room. Your grandchildren and great, great, grandchildren will have the legacy of your story, but will it be buried in the attic? Or will it be something that they are thankful for as they retell your story?
Will they talk about the obstacles you overcame and the tough situations that you turned into something good? Hopefully they will remember that you chose to stay in your marriage in good times and bad, for sickness and in health and waited until death to part?
What do we want them talking about if they choose to remember us? People don’t usually speak of how thankful they are for all the money that their great, great grandparents left them. People will usually sit around sharing about the stories that tell about the lives they lived.
They may remember the mistakes you made, but more importantly, they will remember what you did with your mistakes.
Today you may find yourself at a crossroads. You may have to choose whether you will stay in a relationship or leave. You may be at the end of your rope and feeling hopeless.
After attending a weekend with Relationship Lifeline you may be able to make that decision easier. It may be an investment into a legacy that will last beyond your lifetime and the lifetime of your children.