The Legacy You’re Leaving
May 14, 2026
The Generations Behind You
What have you received from your mother, grandmothers and others who came before you?
By EmpowHer State Leader, Jenny Baxter
- “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
2 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)
Legacy in motion
Paul’s words to Timothy always move me: I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice.
Have you noticed how faith passes through generations? A legacy of prayers, stories and belief often seems to carry through from parent to child. Or sometimes, it’s grandparent to grandchild. Timothy carried what both his grandmother and mother had given him.
Both of my grandmothers were women of faith. Like Timothy, I inherited something I never saw firsthand: a generational legacy. Sadly, one grandmother, Grandma Meadows, died before I was born. The other, my Gran, left us when I was only four. Yet, here I am today, a recipient of their legacy.
That’s one of the strange and wonderful things about legacy. It doesn’t require our presence to keep being transferred. Stories carry it; prayer carries it. A mother’s faith, held quietly over decades, passes something real to children who will one day pass it on themselves. I am living proof of that. And perhaps you are too.
A mother’s faith, held quietly over decades, passes something real to children who will one day pass it on themselves.
While I was unfamiliar with my own grandmothers, I did know Stephen’s. Grandma Baxter. Through her, I learned what a praying grandmother’s legacy looks like, up close.
The gift of being seen
Stephen tells me Grandma understood him better than anyone.
“When I was growing up,” he explains, “she would look into my eyes and ask how I was. And I just knew she saw me. Really saw me. It’s like she could see deep into my soul.”
To be truly seen by someone is a gift. It requires the other person to slow down, to set aside their own noise and to be genuinely curious about your interior world. Grandma Baxter gave that to Stephen. It was a consistent posture of love. Stephen still knows it. Decades on, Grandma’s affirmation of him still shapes who he is.
What are you leaving?
Even in her final years, when illness confined her to bed, her bones riddled with Paget’s disease, Grandma prayed faithfully for each grandchild. Stephen carries that legacy still, not just the prayers she prayed for him, but the way she saw him.
“Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; a mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes
That’s the legacy we leave to the next generation, whether or not we are mothers or grandmothers. It’s not just what we say or do. It’s also about those who follow us feeling seen, known, and prayed for.
As you think about the women behind you, those who prayed, who stayed, who quietly held faith through hard seasons, why not also turn to look forward? Consciously see the daughters, granddaughters and younger women who are watching you right now. Notice the boys and men in your life as well. Like Timothy, they are already inheriting something from you. It may not be something you announce or intend. It may simply be the way you see them.
That might be enough. In fact, it might be everything.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you welcomed little children into your presence. Help me welcome them into my life and prayers as well. Thank you that my prayers for the next generation can shape their futures long after I’m gone. May the legacy I leave be one of faithful, fervent prayer. A blessing that outlives me. Amen.
READ MORE Heartlands Autumn 2026 >
The Legacy You are Leaving is an excerpt from Courageous Womanhood*, by Jenny Baxter, EmpowHer* State Leader
Courageous Womanhood will soon be released by Jenny Baxter. It contains 28 reflections to inspire and encourage you.
To receive Part One as a gift, head to Jenny’s website here: jennybaxter.com.au/courageous
* EmpowHer is the women’s ministry of Tasmanian Baptists