“Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord.” Psalm 78:4 NKJV
The Godly impact of one’s life touches generations and reaches eternity.
My thoughts and comments today are about “Godly generations.”
Few track and field events are any more exciting than the relay race. Four athletes give their all for their assigned portion of the race, and then pass the baton to the next runner. If the baton is not handed off properly within the allowed space or is dropped, that team is disqualified. Each runner gives their best effort until coming to where the next runner anxiously waits. For a few brief steps they run alongside each other until the baton is safely passed and then one drops back, his race completed, while the other must continue on.
Your life of faith is like that. We each have our assigned portion of race to run, cheered on by those before us, and responsible to those awaiting us. Read 2 Timothy 1:3-7 NIV. The Apostle Paul seemed to love the metaphor of the runner. “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV.
And parenting is like that also. This weekend holds a special day when more phone calls made, more flowers sold, more restaurants crowded, and more greeting cards purchased than any other day of the year – Mother’s Day. My thoughts today are shaped by a recent family event. Our family welcomed our first Great Granddaughter, Kaylee Grace. That struggle of birth and the gift of life are fresh in my mind as I write. I marvel as I watch our granddaughter with that helplessly dependent infant. Her joyful sacrifice of self in the time and care given might even surprise her. Yet she counts it privilege not sacrifice.
The Bible says you are, “Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord.” Read Psalm 78:1-7 NKJV. A mother’s life is not lived for herself, but with a vision for the lives of the children and families who will follow her. She does not count herself to have succeeded until her children and their children’s children have prospered. A mother’s influence is immense, far greater than she may presume during the busy years of mothering, and such influence is not limited to her lifetime. The Godly impact of a mother’s life touches generations and reaches eternity – in the lives of those who watch her life, who know her love, and ultimately, those who learn her faith.
My Mom will not be in the midst of her family this weekend, but she will always be in the hearts of her family, and in mine. Before, I wanted to be with her; now I wish I were more like her. Before, I enjoyed her company; now I remember her character. Before, I enjoyed our conversations; now I value the wisdom of her words and treasure the values she taught me.
Moms are people who are always with us even after they are gone, with us for a season to impart values and example – life experience, character, convictions, priorities, values, hopes, and faith – knowing others must run further than she can and yearning for us to do so with less pain and more pleasure than hers, with fewer struggles and more victories. Godly generations, behind as well as ahead of you, depend on your doing so.
Unless you understand that your brief life is a timeless connection of influence with those generations both before and after you, you may fail to live your life with Godly influence that is consequential and eternal. Man or woman, young or old, if you will be God’s love wrapped in a human heart, the Godly influence of your life will stretch well beyond your lifetime, even beyond the lifetimes of those whose lives you touch.
My prayer for you today is that you provide a Godly heritage to those who follow.