Much of my effort over the last year has been writing, Mama You Be the Difference—a Bible study for moms. This study is not just for moms of littles, but moms in any season as the study focuses on you as a woman and mom—the importance of presenting yourself to God and the impact that relationship makes not only on your life, but those you influence. One woman changed, impacts a family.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15
One of our responsibilities is to pass down the truths about our great God. We are to intentionally teach the next generation so that they will set their hope anew on Him (Ps. 78:7). That each next child would praise the Lord and know of His strengths and all the wondrous works He has done.
We will not conceal them from their children, But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
Psalm 78:4
So as mothers, grandmothers, mother-figures and spiritual mothers, what does it look like to share the truths of God with the next generation? There are so many things we can do, but here are a few that really impressed upon my heart:
- Intentional parenting.
- Building strong relationships.
- Sharing the goodness of God.
- Experiencing the God of creation in the ordinary and extraordinary.
- Telling your story with those you influence and pointing them to Jesus.
- Pointing others back to God’s unending faithfulness.
Yes, this is a daily action we need to set before us and be watchful for opportune moments.
You and I don’t want it said of us as to what was said of Israel after the death of Joshua in Judges 2:10, “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”
The Israelite families served God as long as Joshua and his elders were alive. This was the generation who experienced freedom, walked through the parted sea, and ate the manna. As long as they lived, Israel knew the Lord. They remembered God and worshiped God. When Joshua and his elders died, however, there arose another generation who did not know God.
However, it’s not that Joshua’s generation intentionally “dropped the ball”. They didn’t forget what the Lord had done for them (see Joshua 24:15–18). They just weren’t purposeful about passing those stories on to their children, which resulted in a spiritual breakdown of the family and culture. This should be a sharp warning to us to take seriously the spiritual development of our children and share the goodness of God so it won’t get lost.
Ladies, you have a story.
You have worth.
You have miraculous things God has brought you through.
Your life is vital to the next generation and a legacy worth leaving.
A quote by Kim Collingsworth, my pastor’s sister, from, Mama, You Be the Difference says, “A legacy is something that will follow you, but must be built before we go.”
I once heard pastor, author, and teacher Chip Ingram say on his podcast that parents should leave their children something money can’t buy, as well as teach them how to suffer well, work unto the Lord, manage their finances, make wise decisions, and live grace-filled lives.
Now that’s an inheritance.
We’re not called just to leave something to those who come after us, but to leave something in them. Your children and grandchildren are only entrusted to you for a short period of time, and the legacy you will leave is the one you walk out every day.
During my daughter Sarah’s preschool days, I began to gain wisdom and have truth spoken into my life by Dora, a dear friend who would eventually go home to be with the Lord at 101 years old. I would pick up Sarah after her morning at preschool and head to Dora and Karl’s house for our monthly lunch date, where she and I would sit and listen to stories of old.
When Sarah entered elementary school, I continued my visits with Dora; our time around the table was something I looked forward to. In her last years, Dora became more confined to her home and desired to have more purpose as she recalled her earlier days filled with activity and work for the Lord. I assured her that the younger women were still gleaning from her, learning to age with grace and poise, and about the power of an effective prayer life.
It wasn’t her accomplishments that impressed me or the recipes we exchanged, although those were good, too. It was her love for her husband, her family, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren. It was her endurance through illness when I wasn’t sure she would make it.
It was her trust in God to complete, with grace, what He had begun in her life.
It was the joy in her smile.
It was the twinkle in her eye when she reminisced about her courting years.
It was the kindness she would speak into her listeners’ ears.
It was the preparations she would complete in their garden for the winter months ahead.
It was her desire to do good.
It was her respect for her parents as she matured.
It was her love for God’s Word.
In the end, it’s what we do with Jesus that matters.
This is what I saw in Dora. Satisfaction. Contentment. Acceptance. Love. And her pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness (see 1 Timothy 6:11).
Herein lies the secret: Live a life of contentment. Stop desiring what you don’t have and start being grateful for all you do have. An inner life of contentment will be evident to your children and grandchildren as they grow up. Instruct them to pursue righteousness over foolishness. This is a lasting legacy.
What and who has God entrusted into your care? Will you spend your days passing down spiritual and practical ways to those that come behind you?
Oh, let us desire the ways of God and pass them down to the next generation.
Journeying with Him,
Jessie
Annette O'Malley says
This is beautifully written, Jessie! So many of your points really touched my heart! Being a mom is one of the greatest blessings, and most important jobs we will ever have! May we take it as seriously as God intended!