Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.”
This speaks of more than material wealth. Spiritually, emotionally, we all leave inheritance for our children and even for their children. Unfortunately, it isn’t always wealth that we leave. Sometimes we leave them with poverty (generational curses). Sometimes we leave them with lack of the knowledge of God, of wisdom, lack of skills in terms of coping with the daily requirements of living, lack of love, self-worth, confidence, and lack of things like trust, faith and hope in worst case scenarios.
It takes the power of God to change that poverty or lack into wealth for those generations after us then. There are a few examples of this in the Old Testament in Kings and Judges who did “evil” in the sight of the LORD. Generations after them-and not their own families, but the people they were over-were affected by their “poverties” or lack of uprightness, as well as their “wealth” or their integrity and uprightness before the LORD.
The wealth that is in all of us is that we are created in His image and after His likeness. The wealth in us is His Spirit, which is love, truth, peace and joy. That’s what Adam and Eve forfeited in the Garden of Eden; and Christ Jesus died and redeemed for us on the cross. (Genesis 1:26) Only in Christ Jesus can we be restored to that relationship with the Father that restores our purity or “righteousness” before Him. The bible tells us that God is faithful and just to forgive us when we confess our sins to him. You can only leave that which is yours to give. When we walk before the Lord in righteousness, in holiness, in humility and in integrity/truth-meaning honesty, even when and especially when we mess up, we are passing on wealth to our children. One of the greatest items of “wealth” we possess is our integrity; not just before the Lord, but before our children too. If what we have is dysfunction and poverty (lack of truth, power, integrity, peace, etc.) that’s what we will leave our children with. Fortunately for them and for our grandchildren, there is the freedom and power to choose for themselves, so they are able to turn that lack/poverty to wealth. They can break the curse(s).
In light of this, perhaps one of the greatest things we can do for our children is to ask ourselves the question: “Am I creating wealth or poverty for my future generations in what I’m doing?”
Scripture references from the Nelson New King James Bible.
