We Pass On What We Love

My mother, Barbara Fergusson, loved the valley where she lived. She even wrote a book about the river which runs through it. Her love for the place was infectious.

Many years after her death, I love returning to the valley which meant so much to her. It is part of her legacy. We pass on what we love.

In this series, I have used my family to illustrate what we pass on from one generation to another.

Love is one of those key ingredients. For instance, Jesus’s disciple John is known as the apostle of love. He exemplified love, wrote about it, and even defined himself as, “…the one Jesus loved…” (John 20:2).

According to Jerome, the fourth century theologian, when John the apostle was very old, he would continually repeat the phrase, “Little children, love one another”.When questioned about this, he simply said, “…It is the Lord’s command, and if this only is done, it is enough…”. Love was his legacy.

It was John who recorded Christ’s commandment, “…A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another…” (John 13:34-35).

Do we share John’s passion?

Will we share John’s legacy?

What will our final instructions be?

Robert