Values Over Valuables

Give Smart Prepared by your friends at the Young Life Foundation.

Values Over Valuables FIVE IDEAS TO MAKE YOUR LEGACY COUNT

Values Over Valuables Take a moment to reflect upon the people who have had the largest impact on your life. What did they do to create that impact? Was it because of the resources they gave you or perhaps because of what they taught, modeled, shared or encouraged in you?

Establishing a valuable legacy is far more than just transferring your valuables to the next generation. Regrettably, the focus on estate planning is all too often only on the transaction of passing down your resources in the most tax-efficient manner. However, the most important aspect to creating a thriving legacy of lasting significance is the careful and intentional stewardship of your family values and heritage.

You may have heard it said that money and possessions are like fire.

They can be powerful tools in the hands of your loved ones, but to what end? Will the inheritance you leave behind be a blessing or stumbling block in their life journeys? All too often it is the valuables that get the most attention when it’s really the values that you leave behind that will have the most impact on future generations. Here are five ideas to help you build your values and heritage into the family legacy you establish for generations to come.

1 Capture the Family Story An important starting point for many families is to capture their family story. As we chronicle the twists and turns, high and low points, accomplishments and failings, we begin to see that as individuals we are part of a larger story. As with the story of Israel, our individual experiences are unified in the larger story of God glorified through His redemptive and restorative work in our shortcomings and His generous providences. Capturing the stories of what God has done in your family for future generations is an incredible gift that should not be overlooked.

And here is a little good news: You don’t have to be a professional writer to capture your family story well. There are several books and online tools that provide question and answer frameworks for you to work through, and you can even hire a contract writer to assist you.

Some families prefer to tell their story through photographs, audio recordings, videography or even narrative genealogy. Regardless of how you choose to format your family story, the key is to highlight the positive values, redeem the difficult chapters and celebrate the larger story of how God is working the pieces of your family’s past into His heart.

2 Build a Treasure Chest There is a variety of musings found on the internet regarding what King Solomon’s treasures would be worth today. One analyst calculates that the Bible’s listing of Solomon’s possessions would be worth over $2.1 trillion! Regardless of the actual number, Solomon’s possessions did little to improve or circumvent the tragic life journeys of his descendants. However, the wealth of his wisdom and understanding has gone on to bless nations for thousands of generations beyond the depletion of his possessions. We can learn from this, and like Solomon, we can create a “Proverbs 2 Treasure Chest” of timeless wisdom, understanding, insight and knowledge of the Lord.

Consider filling an actual keepsake box, scrapbook or journal with a collection of your favorite book titles, verses, quotes, idioms, letters, comics, sermons, stories, songs or devotions. You could include lists of your favorite authors, singers, artists or other inspirational sources. The possibilities are limitless! Exercise your fun side, sense of humor and contemplative thoughtfulness as you collect the interesting and instructive ideas and expressions that have helped you to gain wisdom, understanding, insight and knowledge of the Lord. The form of your treasure chest doesn’t matter. It’s the wealth of ideas that creates a treasure for future generations that cannot be destroyed by rust, moth or thief.

3 Create a Values and Vision Statement Values and vision statements are not only for the business world. The unifying effect they have provides focus and inspiration for groups to come together and achieve greater good and impact than the individual journey would accomplish. They also provide direction in the myriad of decisions, choices and priorities an individual navigates throughout the work-life or family-life journey.

When creating your family values and vision statement, you may wish to begin by looking back to your family heritage to identify a common thread of core values that reach forward from generations past. In addition to looking back, it is important to seek and include the voices and perspectives of younger generations. Make it fun and celebrate your family’s positive attributes. Memorialize your findings in writing and keep them accessible in your homes.

It is a powerful witness for future generations of your family to see your hopes and prayers for their lives in writing.

4 Leave a Legacy Letter of Blessing The power and significance that results from one generation formally blessing the next generation is well established throughout biblical history.

In keeping with this practice, we, too, can leave a life-changing gift in the lives of future generations to come. For more ideas and stories on how you can incorporate a biblical blessing into your family legacy, visit www.theblessing.com.

5 Create Life-Shaping Experiences Don’t underestimate the impact of creating life-shaping experiences together. Discover. Volunteer. Build. Serve. Worship. Travel. Learn. Give.

Enjoy. Celebrate. One’s life is merely a collection of the moments that fill our minutes. Let’s be sure our family moments are filled with positive, life-shaping experiences that develop and celebrate the character and values we desire to shape our lasting legacy of significance.

YOUNG LIFE FOUNDATION JEFF RUDDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR P.O. BOX 520 | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80901-0520 800-813-1945 | jrudder@sc.younglife.org | www.younglifefoundation.org