Character, faith worth passing on

Billy Graham, the famous Christian evangelist, once said: “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.”

I would say that my encounter with some special friends is the best example of Billy Graham’s words.

It was about a week before Christmas, and I had the opportunity to visit with a group of friends, all seniors, ranging in age from 75 to 90.

They were my “focus group.” I asked each one to tell me about their most memorable Christmas, but I had to guarantee them anonymity before they would talk.

One told me about spending Christmas each year on farm in distant Roosevelt County. This person said that he always got socks with nuts, oranges and apples stuffed inside. But he said he was happy to get them — that was the only fruit he got for the entire year.

One friend, whose mother had died, lived with her father and two siblings. They were very poor and year after year she got a coloring book for Christmas … same book, same picture of an elephant on the front. Year after year, she painted that elephant’s blanket purple.

Another friend said that she always got a baby doll for Christmas, made out of feed sacks and she was happy to get it.

Each one in the group said they received only one or two small presents each but reiterated they were thankful to get them.

These wonderful people did not know each other growing up and even though their pasts and roots were very different, difficult times touched them all in their childhoods. All were raised during the Depression, and their parents struggled to feed them. They each experienced emotional pain when sickness and even death descended upon members of their families.

Yet, my focus group said they were happy as youngsters, in spite of difficult times and few presents at Christmas time. At Christmas, the gifts they received were the result of hard-working families with meager incomes and families with obstacles in each of their paths that seemed insurmountable.

They felt loved, cared for and rich in family and friends. Further they said that in spite of those early experiences as children in the midst of struggle and crisis in each family, they all still believed they were valued and cherished even in those difficult circumstances.

Furthermore, each person had parents who loved the Lord and lived their lives in obedience to him. They all testified they had parents who took them to church and parents who read the Bible to them daily. In addition, they all had a family prayer time.

Their value as individuals came from the lifestyle of faith as each child observed their believing parents during difficult times.

So what did I come away with from my senior focus group? Despite their childhood circumstances, even heartbreak in their adult years, they all led satisfying and rewarding lives.

Even at their ages, they gave to their families their time and talents. They were faithful to the Lord and obedient to his Word and still dedicated to God’s church.

They still reached out and helped friends in any way they could, and their lifestyles of caring and giving revealed the Lord they served.

Finally, and certainly not the least, each person exhibited a deep down joy that comes from a life well lived.

We may believe we have nothing to offer. But think about my senior friends I met that day. They were feeble and had modest means. Yet still they were living their lives as blessings to others. As a result, their children and even great grandchildren and great great grandchildren observed their lives and the loving attitudes that they possessed.

What an example for all of us as we face the new year 2017. Our true source of happiness is not in material things. Our fulfillment and contentment should come from the extent to which we live our lives in thankfulness to the One who is the source of all life’s gifts — God and his greatest gift, Jesus.

Judy Brandon writes about faith for The Eastern New Mexico News. Contact her at: [email protected]