A Fourfold Legacy for My Family

In my last blog I shared how people who have never seen a healthy family can begin to raise a healthy family themselves. In doing so, they redeem their family and set the coming generations on a new trajectory toward health and wholeness. In this blog, I wanted to share a brief overview of the fourfold legacy I strive to leave for my family.

  • African American Family Parents and ChildrenI want to leave my family a legacy of physical health. That may sound trite, but I want my family to have an example of the self-discipline necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I want them to experience the flavors, joys, and energy of a healthy diet. I want them to know the benefits of good sleep hygiene and rest. I want to model an active lifestyle while making time for appropriate rest. Not an active lifestyle for the purpose of scholarships or advancement. A simple active lifestyle for the purpose of healthy living.
  • I want to leave my family a relational legacy. This will include modeling a marital relationship filled with love, respect, and commitment. It will also involve relating to my children through encouragement and support, listening and affirming, accepting and acknowledgement. I want to build healthy family relationships of celebration and joy by enforcing appropriate boundaries, limits, and values. I want to build an intimate relationship with each family member that will build a sense of belonging and joy.
  • I want to leave an emotional legacy for my family. An emotional legacy includes celebration and fun as well as the ability and discipline to express and respond to emotions like anger in a healthy, gracious manner. This legacy demands I learn to express my emotions in a respectful manner as well as modeling the vulnerability of humbly expressing my emotions in a healthy manner.
  • I want to leave a spiritual legacy for my family. I want to leave a spiritual legacy of service, grace, and integrity through my words and actions. I want the spiritual legacy I leave to be undergirded by the work of Christ in my life and the life of my family. So, I encourage our family to worship together, pray together, learn together, forgive one another, and “outdo one another in showing honor.”

We could expand each of these areas and explore ways to leave this legacy. But, I leave the details to you. How will you leave this fourfold legacy for your family? How will you begin today?

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