Rockwall, TX (May 16, 2024) – All six of us were present and seated around our parents’ dinner table several days after our father died. We had also gathered here just five months earlier, after our mother passed away. None of us wanted to be recalled so soon to those duties that mingle with grief.
Though sobered by this second loss, we focused on the reading of our parents’ will and the division of one immediate asset—freshly arrived from a local bank. A zippered duffle bag rested in the center of the table, where countless main dishes had been placed over the years.
After reading the will aloud, my brother lightened our mood by telling us about his bank visit that morning along with one of our sisters. Once the guard had left them alone to open our father’s safety deposit box, they quickly removed the all-cash contents, which they stuffed inside their turkey-sized bag. They felt like a pair of thieves as they left the bank, hearts racing.
Now, while our brother removed stacks of $100 bills from the “getaway bag,” I thought of the home improvements our parents could have afforded. The kitchen needed new appliances; and Mother never liked those countertops but kept them for the sake of practicality. Window treatments throughout the house also needed replacing.
Mom and Dad had already given us gifts at every opportunity in the years before they died, always sure that none of us received more than the others. We would have gladly returned the unearned bounty to the bank to have our parents back in their recliners. But our inheritance was a great blessing; their hard work and sacrificial savings would serve our needs instead of theirs.
“For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children,” the Apostle Paul wrote, (2 Corinthians 12:14*).
It’s natural for parents to sacrifice in countless ways for their children. It gives us joy to make them happy. We’ll dig deeper into our pockets to pay for his tennis lessons or her prom dress. We’ll strain our bank accounts for their school tuition or a big wedding. Apart from financial gifts, we try to make deposits of love and encouragement into their lives that will benefit them in more substantial ways. We do all of this just because they belong to us, and we care for them.
Sadly, many sons and daughters miss out on any monetary inheritance due to estrangement or adverse circumstances. Worse, some never receive the greater benefit of having loving parents. In either case, the good news of an eternal inheritance through Jesus Christ should produce joyful anticipation. The Gospel of John 1:12 says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
Incredibly, it pleased our Father in Heaven to make us “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). Jesus endured the cross for the sake of our redemption, “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). Because of this perfect plan of salvation, we have an imperishable inheritance kept for us (1 Peter 1:3, 4).
Meanwhile, as we await our heavenly bounty, we receive guidance and encouragement through the Holy Spirit given to God’s children “as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 1:22). As joint heirs with Christ, we can draw near to God’s “throne of grace” (Hebrews 6:16), which will benefit us in countless ways.
All of this unmerited favor, just because we belong to God, and he cares for us.
*ESV scriptures throughout.
Patti Richter writes and edits Christian faith articles and has co-authored Signs of his Presence: Experiencing God’s Comfort in Times of Suffering. Read more of her essays at BlueRibbonNews.com.
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