Friday, February 06, 2009

Legacy

I'm doing a study through the Bible on the word "lead" and I recently read Numbers 2 where the twelve tribes of Israel are assigned camp positions around the tent of meeting. Each tribe is headed by a leader of the sons of the twelve fathers. These twelve patriarchs lived over 400 years prior and yet they passed on family legacies that exist today.

I think about my role as leader of two children of Eyre, my boy Jackson and my girl Kiran, and I think about the other sons and daughters of Eyre and Law and the legacies that have been passed down to my kids through my wife's family and mine. My dad was a lay pastor and his dad was a pastor. Both my parents are prayer warriors and now missionaries. My mom's parents were first generation Christians. Clarice's parents are third generation Christians that originated in small villages in China and Hong Kong. God has blessed our kids with a strong Christian heritage.

As I consider how to pray for Jackson and Kiran and their future children, I wonder exactly how their grandparents and great-grandparents prayed for them. I know that the blessings in my life, the relational riches especially, are a result of the faithful prayers of previous generations.

I desire to only pass on blessings and promise, not generational sins and hang-ups. I desire to teach my children how to follow Jesus Christ with all their hearts, minds, souls and strength. With Christ and the answered prayers of so many before us, Clarice and I can give our kids a great spiritual legacy!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow...such high callings as parents. My problem is...maybe due to my little faith...is how to diligently pass on the Christian legacy on a day-to-day basis while dealing with the worldly culture all around me. This huge challenge puts me on my knees everyday!! But the reality of possibly losing this battle sends chills down my spine.

auntie Linda

Auntie Linda