Friday, June 4, 2021
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 6:6-7
A Most Valuable and Precious Inheritance
In our church there are many multigenerational families. As a little girl I used to go to church with my Mamaw and Papaw, and then I would go to their house for lunch. My grandfather was a die-hard Cowboys fan. When he was older and had lost weight and size, he would wear his Dallas Cowboys sweatshirt under his suit to church. He was ready for an afternoon of football as soon as he got home – he just had to take off his coat and shirt. I loved everthyhing about these Sundays - standing next to my grandparents and hearing them sing, listening to the sermons and spending the day with them.
I went to church with my other grandparents also. But I have one special memory of my other grandfather as well. He had a chair at home - his special chair. He smoked a pipe, which always smelled so good, and I often climed up in his lap and wanted to smell all the different flavors of pipe tobacco he had. One day I climed up in his lap and told him that I wanted him to teach me every song in the hymnal. He began with At Calvary and then proceeded to teach me the next one, Down At The Cross. I can still hear his voice singing as he taught me these hymns. I love these memories of my grandparents, and although I may not remember every sermon I heard as a girl growing up, I remember the faith of my grandparents and how it influenced me.
For some of us, the generations that have gone before us left a legacy of faithfulness and service for us to follow. If you grew up in church, maybe you have memories of examples set by Sunday School teachers or other adults that were important in your life. Your parents might have set this example for you, or aunts and uncles and grandparents. Or if you were lucky, maybe all of the above! It doesn’t matter where the influence came from, what matters is how it affected your life.
Now I am a grandmother and I want to be a major influence in my grandaughter’s life. I want to impart my faith and knowledge of my loving, gracious, merciful Savior to her, and tell her stories, and provide her with experiences that will be a pathway of faith for her. Parents, grandparents, and other adults have a great responsibility to pass on our faith in God to the children, youth, and college aged young adults God places in our lives. There is no price tag on love and support for those following in our footsteps. You never know how your love and kindness will influence them. We can share our faith in God by our lifestyle, our testimony, and encouragement. This is what God wants us to do with the younger generations, but it is also such a blessing to be this person in another’s life. It doesn’t have to be only family. There are people coming behind us everywhere that long for some discipleship and love.
It is a special blessing to be able to worship together as an extended family every week, but even if you don’t attend the same church, you can be a blessing in each others lives and influence others in your family with your faith. Send notes, send texts, call, and take every opportunity to impart the amazing story of our God’s love and grace every chance you get.
