Hand me down tools
I was crawling on the floor behind the dryer yesterday, trying to hook up the vent, and asked one of the kids to hand me a screwdriver; when I saw whose it was, I had to stop what I was doing and reminisce for a moment.
It's just an old, beat-up screwdriver, but you see the initials carved on it in the picture. KH stands for Kenneth Holmes, my grandfather. He was a lifelong mechanic for Ford, Otasco, and other places. He had more tools than most people could possibly use, and he was very good with them. I inherited some of them after he passed away, and while they are not the nicest set, they do mean a lot to me.
Family members pass down all sorts of tools to us. You might have your grandmother's Bible, your grandfather's screwdrivers, or any number of other things. However, we also get different types of tools from our family members—not ones that we can hold in our hands, but the ones that we use daily and that shape our lives and families.
It might be skills like cooking or auto repair. It could be learning to deal with stress and anxiety in your life. It could be knowing that turning to the Bible is always the answer when you struggle. From my own father, I learned that nothing is so big that God can't overcome it. From my grandmother, I learned to always have trust, even in the hardest times. From my mother, I learned the importance of family and staying close.
You have also learned lessons from your family. These tools have been passed down to you, not for fixing things when they go wrong but for making sure things don't go wrong in the first place. Using these tools daily, like Bible reading, prayer, and regular involvement in a church, prevents our lives from going astray and helps us trust in God for daily provision.
Think about what tools have been given to you and what tools you are giving to your children and grandchildren. Will they remember that you taught them to always trust God? Will they remember that you taught them that being a part of a church is important? Make sure you are passing on something that matters and that can be treasured for generations. We all need tools; make sure you pass along the right ones.
