An Inheritance that Matters

My grandma recently passed away at the age of 93. She was preceded by the passing of her husband, my grandpa, nearly 16 years earlier. My grandparents truly were lovely people, and would be described as “The.Best.” by everyone that knew them. They loved and served people and did it quietly without concern for acknowledgement. They lived a life that exemplified one of my favorite maxims of Poor Richard: Well done is better than well said. At her funeral, many spoke of her and her life, and it was here where I fully understood and appreciated her, and my late grandpa’s, legacy.

Proverbs 13:22 says “Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren.” I’ve always taken this verse to be about money and other material things, but I’ve started to understand this is only part of its meaning. Like much of Scripture, there’s another deeper layer to its words.

When my mother and my uncles sit down to go through Grandma’s will, there won’t be a large inheritance of land and homes, cars and jewelry, or money and mutual funds. By the standard of the world, and by this famous Bible verse, my grandparents seemingly failed their family. But the funeral told a different story. It highlighted the deeper meaning of that Bible verse, where another inheritance awaits us.

In Matthew 25:34, Jesus is recorded saying “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’.” The inheritance He spoke of is eternal life in Heaven. Like any other inheritance, it’s not earned through our efforts or our family pedigree, but it’s a gift from God through faith in Jesus (John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9) that is available to anyone. And unlike the material gifts of other inheritances, this inheritance is “imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading.” In Heaven, there will be no pain, sadness, or death (Rev 21:4). This is the more significant meaning of “inheritance” in that Proverb.

I’ve written this essay to say Thank You to Robert and Emma Jean Dobbins. Their lives were lived for a bigger purpose that obtaining money, comfort, and recognition. They helped many people find happiness, hope, and peace by pointing to the “inheritance” found in faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa. I love you.

“Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to His great mercy, He has given new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted and unfading, kept in Heaven for you”, 1 Peter 1:3-4.