Generational Faith

A few days ago, I had the privilege of speaking to a fantastic group of Ladies. They were members of MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers). It was a joy to share my heart with them. I spoke on the importance of generational faith or passing your faith down to your children. The message was focused on the value of being a mother and the main Scripture was II Timothy 1:5. Paul told Timothy, "I have been 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." Obviously, faith is not only passed down through the female gender of a family. There are many, many Scriptures that instruct a father to do the same. I shared a little of my own testimony of not growing up in an environment that lent to that inheritance. This does not mean that there was not some degree of "belief" in my parents. It just was not really spoken of or practiced. Therefore, for the most part, I was on my own to discover my faith. When I say "on my own", I grew to know that I wasn't ever truly on my own. Jesus was always there. The truth of God is alive and no matter how small the expression or word spoken, there is lasting power and life. When I was 19 years old, I gave birth to my second child, a son. He had serious problems with his lungs and was only able to survive for about 48 hours. Even now, as a parent, grandparent, great grandparent, I can still see my Dad speaking these words to me, "We know where he is" as we were leaving the little graveside service. I knew he meant Heaven. My Dad rarely spoke of the "Good Lord". My upbringing was pretty void of spiritual things. But when he did speak, as he did that sad day, he brought a sense of peace and hope to my downtrodden heart. It is never too late to pass Faith along to your children and anyone else you may encounter through this life. II Corinthians tell us that, "If any man (woman) be in Christ he is a new creation. Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new". Proverbs 18:21 tells us that "Life and Death are in the Power of the Tongue...". I am grateful that I have been able to pass my Faith along to my children and now to my grandchildren and my greatgrandchildren. Even a small word can have an enormous impact in the hearts of the recipients. So, as I told the MOPS ladies: "Be real and do  your best knowing your best is only accomplished through Jesus. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13 These are difficult days and it is critical that our children have a strong foundation of Truth to stand on in a world permeated with confusion. To save them from falling into the abyss of instability this life can bring, we can throw them the lifeline of security that comes from knowing Jesus and His Word and holding on!