“The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage” (Psalm 16:6).

When I read this verse, I picture a young man or woman in Biblical times standing with his or her father, looking over the fields.  With one arm around his child and the other pointing at the boundary lines, the father says, “When I die, all of this will be yours.  With the fruit of this land, you and your family will be blessed.  Protect it.  Cherish it.  One day, pass it on to your children.”

Each of us has been given a legacy from our parents, and them from theirs.  We might not all agree with the psalmist that the boundary lines have fallen pleasantly or that the heritage we embrace is goodly.  Nonetheless, it is ours.  And, as God is a redeeming God, there is always good to be found.  We all could stand to view our lives with more gratitude in our hearts.

As you are planning for your wedding and preparing for your marriage, spend some time in prayer over what heritage has been given to you.  What provision has been passed on to you?  What examples about marriage and faith have you witnessed in your parents and grandparents?  Who before you has been praying for you?  What habits and patterns have you picked up from your family?  What traditions have you loved throughout the years?  In examining your “boundary lines,” how can you take those borders given to you and expand or minimize them in order to be a good steward of your heritage?

Abba, my life is ultimately a gift from You.  Let me rejoice in the good that has been passed down to me and let me surrender the bad.  I desire to be a good steward of my life and to leave a goodly heritage, a legacy that would point all aspects of my life to You, the Living God Who loves us.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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