Legacy

I attended my last MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) function for the year this morning, and the speaker was really phenomenal. His topic was on that of "Visionary Parenting" (also the name of his ministry, which you can take a look at: www.visionaryparenting.com ), specifically, how do we as parents INTENTIONALLY pass on faith and character to our children? He referenced the verses in Deuteronomy 6:5-7 about loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and doing this through commitment to His commandments and passing these on to our children. He named the family unit as a God-designed discipleship center - this is our ministry, whether we are parents who have further ministries (or jobs) outside the home or not. Home is the place where we disciple our children and impress upon them a love for God. We have divinely ordained power over our children's hearts that no one else can touch. This was a good reminder for me, to be sure, but what really hit me was his closing prayer. Not only did he pray for the souls of our children but went on to pray for the souls-to-be of our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I was floored. I had never thought that far ahead in my lineage and how the way I'm living now affects the future so profoundly. I am constantly thankful for my grandparents (and great-grandparents, etc.) and the heritage of faith that, through their lives and commitment to Christ, has been passed down to me. What a sobering thought to even imagine that, because I would not take the time to very intentionally bring Christ into every aspect of our home, I could end that legacy. Not that that is the case. But I can say with certainty that we haven't been doing this job as whole-heartedly as we could and should be. It will involve a hard look at priorities in our home and what are the things we are prioritizing (involving our time, money, etc.) teaching our kids about God and our relationship to Him? It will also involve more committed self-discipline in my own faith walk, which is an ongoing battle for me.