“One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.”
Psalm 145:4
One of the springtime sights that I always find fascinating is when I see daffodils growing neatly in a row out in a field or empty plot of land. I like to imagine a young mother meticulously planting daffodil bulbs on an old farmstead, praying that little bright yellow surprises will come springing up at the end of the approaching winter. I picture her children playing barefooted in the yard and enjoying the wonder of the early signs of spring, gathering the yellow beauties for mama to display proudly on the kitchen table. I see an elderly woman, worn by life, admiring the row of flowers she planted so long ago and remembering the joy they brought faithfully year after year. I see grown children and grandchildren gathering those golden tokens of their mother’s legacy, remembering with a smile the beautiful life that she lived. As I pass that empty field, I honor the unknown person who left a little bit of brightness behind for others to enjoy.
I’m far from being a botanist. Most of my knowledge of plants comes from Google, as do the following facts. Daffodils are self-propagating perennials, which means that once planted, they can thrive and multiply for decades to come with little to no work from a gardener. The original bulbs usually only last a few years, but they can infinitely reproduce and multiply long past the lifetime of their initial planting.
Perhaps I am especially touched by these natural beauties because my own grandmother was quite the gardening connoisseur, and I always benefited from her yearly bounty of flowers and vegetables. But of much greater value to me was the spiritual heritage she left behind. There was never a child or grandchild of hers that wasn’t constantly in her prayers. Thankfully, I was blessed to have been preceded by generations of praying, God-fearing, Bible-believing, Spirit-filled, Kingdom pioneers on both sides of my family. I can joyfully join the psalmist in saying, “You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name” (Psalm 61:5b). My life has undoubtedly been touched by those who planted seeds of godliness long before I was ever born, and I intend to continue propagating those seeds for those who come after me.
“Even if you are a first-generation believer, you can start building a spiritual legacy for your children now.”[1] Psalm 119:111 says, “Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.” Be the one who plants God’s word in the hearts of those around you, cultivating those seeds through prayer. You may not get to see the blooms within your lifetime. But someday, someone in heaven may walk up to you with a bouquet of “daffodils” and say, “Thank you for the legacy you left behind, for though you may not know me, the seeds you planted long ago are why I’m here today.”
[1] Marilyn Pritchard, “Spiritual Legacy” in Just Between Us Magazine, 2024. justbetweenus.org
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