Laced With Grace

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.

 – 2 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)

My recipe box contains a yellowed recipe card with faded ink. Every time I come across it, memories rush back at the sight of my grandmother’s familiar handwriting. She had lovingly prepared this very dish for many family feasts. As she got older, there were lots of grandchildren and even great-children to help with the cooking, but she always insisted on contributing. Today, years after her death, my grandmother’s recipes are still found at family gatherings.

Her love of cooking was not the only thing my grandmother shared with her family. She was quick to tell us what God was teaching her and she strongly encouraged each of us in our own faith. She often wrote us notes or sent us timely devotionals. And she always prayed. My grandmother actively passed her faith to the next generation. Her faith is a part of mine.

I reflected on this legacy of faith this weekend. My parents, our three grown children, and two son-in-laws all visited to celebrate my birthday. Although the way has not always been smooth, our three children love the Lord and our two daughters have married godly young men. Now our oldest daughter and her husband our expecting our first grandbaby! I can hardly wait to continue to pass along the legacy of faith that began with my grandmother.

Like Timothy’s mother and grandmother, I must pass along the precious gift of faith entrusted to me by my parents and grandmother. I must guard it, nurture it, and share it with my children and grandchildren. I cannot be too diligent. I cannot spend too much time in prayer. I cannot talk too much about what a great and awesome God we serve.

Who in your life passed along a legacy of faith? Who in your life needs to receive a faith legacy? What can you do to pass it along?

There they were, on the precipice of beginning their lives in the promised land. The inheritance had been divided out and the people were happy. Life was good.

So when the book of Joshua closes out with Joshua’s invitation to choose whom they would serve, the Israelites shouted out unreservedly, “We will be His witnesses. We will serve the Lord!” And so they did, all the days of Joshua and the elders that survived him. They had known all the deeds of the Lord and rejoiced in what He had done for them. Life was good in the land of milk and honey.

Now turn the page and fast forward one generation in the story of the Israelites to Judges 2:7-10 and we see a legacy lost. Enter the Dark Ages in their history where they lost their sense of national unity under God. 350 years that can be summarized by disobedience, discipline, desperation, and deliverance; not once but 7 times!

How did this happen? Joshua and the elders and the generation that first entered the land knew the Lord. They knew all the amazing deeds He had performed on their behalf. But according to Judges 2:10 “there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.” How is it that the next generation didn’t get it? How was the legacy lost?

Joshua and the elders were so busy conquering the Canaanites and the people were so busy enjoying their new found freedom and possessions that they forgot one very important thing. They forgot to train up the next generation of leaders in the faith. To tell them of the works of the Lord, of their deliverance from the hands of bondage. They became more focused on themselves and protecting what they had rather than passing on their faith, therefore the next generation succumbed to apostasy, to the Canaanite’s idolatry.

As women of influence we must remember, we are only one generation away from apostasy. We must be about training up our children, our grandchildren and those we have influence with to walk in the fear of the Lord now BEFORE they become the leaders of tomorrow. Before our legacy is lost.

I love Psalm 145:4-7. May it always be true of me; of each of us.

“One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, and on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate. And men shall speak of the power of Thine awesome acts; and I will tell of Thy greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Thine abundant goodness, and shall shout joyfully of Thy righteousness.”

This week my husband and I prepare to once again say good bye to our daughter, son-in-law and 4 granddaughters. They’ve been home from Kenya for one year and head back to the mission field on March 30th.  I find myself wanting to make every moment count.  I want those precious grandchildren to remember me, especially the two youngest – 3 and 20 months. But more importantly, I want them to remember I’ve tried to share with them the goodness of God.

(Pictured from top to bottom: Mike, me, Logan, Sarah*, Lana, Summer*, Savannah* & Skylar*.  * denotes heading back to Kenya.)

Lord, May I be faithful to pass on my faith to the next generation. They are watching, Lord. Help me to be careful in what I say and do. I don’t want to be full of religious jargon, cute cliches and a plastic smile. Make me into a woman who is real, authentic, sincere and transparent. Lord, they can not hear unless I speak. They can not learn through osmosis. Yes, they will learn from watching my life, but I must speak. Speak through me the Words that will point them to You. Help me to train them up in righteousness. Lord, may my life and all that I say, do and write be honoring to You and You alone. In this technological world of the Internet, the words I wrote have the potential to reach around the world and last indefinitely. May I choose my written and spoken words wisely.

I love You, Lord.

Mary Dozier Shouse, my maternal grandmother taught me a lot about life and love. Some of her lessons were practical life skills. My cousins and I learned all the finer points of Canasta from Grandma. And I never would have passed my driver’s test if she had not showed me how to parallel park using salt and pepper shakers on her kitchen table.

The card playing and parking skills have certainly come in handy. However, my grandmother’s true legacy came from the example of her life. Here are a few of the valuable things I learned:

1. Love is often best expressed in small ways – Grandma constantly showed her love to her children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors by letting us know she was thinking about us. For instance, I regularly received clips of articles or recipes in the mail she thought I might like. And although she could not afford gifts everyone received a card from her on their birthday with a dollar bill in it. When a grandkid got married, their spouse began to receive their birthday card and dollar too!
2. Joy can be found in simple things – My grandmother was almost childlike in her wonder of God’s world. She loved rocks, flowers, and birds. She found pleasure just in looking at them.
3. Peace can be found in difficult circumstances – My grandmother lived a hard life. When her mother died at age 11, her father shipped her off from one relative to another. Then verbal abusive and control marred her marriage. Yet, through it all, my grandmother was full of joy and peace from her heavenly Father.

This is the legacy my grandmother left me. Lessons about life, love, and God that have eternal value. Her positive influence on me has often made me reflect on what kind of legacy I will leave my children and grandchildren. What will I leave that has eternal, lasting value?

The grass withers and the flowers fade but the Word of our God stands forever (Isa 40:8). The truths of God are eternal. They have the power to make an eternal impact on my children. What am I doing to pass the legacy of God’s Word to them? I try to follow God’s directive to the people of Israel. I try to set a godly example. I talk to them about the things of God. I take advantage of circumstances to teach them from God’s Word. (See Deut 6:6-9)

What are you doing to leave a valuable legacy? Share your thoughts with us!

Blessings!  Kathy Howard