And probably the most important and difficult step of leaving a godly legacy is the example of the life that you live day be day. And that is a daily challenge.
But there are so many other practical things that one can do for future generations and these are things that interest me as well. One of these is sharing important things with future generations from your life and the lives of your ancestors . Over the years I have prepared over 150 pages of identified pictures and writings about these things and have shared them in a book with my grandchildren. I try to add a few pages to this every Christmas. If you are interested, some of these can be found at fbfawana.com.
I've learned that another vital part of this process is prayer. I have tried to pray daily for each of my sons, their spouses, my grandchildren and their future spouses even before they were born. My prayers have included requests for special things like tests, safety, health problems, friendships, needs, decisions, etc. But all of my prayers have been for their salvation and for the development of a passion for loving and serving the Lord. I've also prayed daily for future spouses who love and serve the Lord and will establish a godly home.. Part of my legacy is having parents, grandparents and uncles and aunts who over the years did the same for me.
I also enjoy reading articles and books that share thoughts about leaving a godly legacy. Recently I have been working through a small book, "Grandparenting with a Purpose" by Lillian Ann Penner. Her emphasis is on finding effective ways to pray for your grandchildren. And I have been impressed with her suggestions including adapting various scriptures into specific prayers for your grandchildren. I had never really thought about that idea before.
One of her ideas really impressed me enough that I thought that I needed to share it with you and find a way to incorporate it into my prayer life. She suggests praying for the fruit of the spirit. And I have decided to share her ideas in this blog and, because of its length, probably in my next blog as well. Here is what Lillian Ann Penner has suggested.
1. LOVE - Love is an intense feeling of tender affection and compassion. It is unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.
* Ask God to plant His love in the hearts of your grandchildren so they will be aware of His presence at all times.
* Pray they will invite Him into their hearts and be rooted and established in His love and His Word.
* Pray that they will allow God's love to flow through them to their families, friends and others.
2. JOY - Joy is a feeling of great pleasure. It is to delight in something. It is also evoked by well-being and success.
* Ask God to plant a joyful, happy heart in your grandchildren.
* Pray they will find joy in being successful in school and their other activities.
* Ask God to enable them to experience the joy of the Lord as their strength, especially when going through difficult circumstances.
3. PEACE - Peace is a state of calmness and quiet. It is freedom from disturbing thoughts of emotion. When one experiences peace, he or she feels secure and in harmony with their personal relationships.
* Ask God to plant His presence in the lives of our grandchildren so they will grow strong and have quiet, calm spirits in their hearts.
* Pray that they will experience God's peace, even when going through difficult situations.
* Pray that God's peace will overflow from their hearts to others.
* Pray they will feel secure in their family and school situations.
Now there are six more which I will share in my next blog. And while these are designed for grandchildren, they certainly could be applied to others - our friends, our spouses and even ourselves.
("Grandparenting with a Purpose", by Lillian Ann Penner, Redemption Press, 2010)
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