GideonSample

 A Legacy of Faith

Visiting my paternal grandparents is a nostalgic adventure. This husband and wife, married for 
sixty-two years, are in love with each other in that sickeningly wonderful way that brings a smile to your face. They still live in the same row house where they raised my father and his siblings. And while their home sits in a drug-infested neighborhood in Baltimore, it is somehow a safe haven of peace and security for all who enter. 

When I walked in for
 a visit several years ago, I grinned 
at the sight of the old 
piano I used to play as a 
girl; the 
plastic-covered sofa my 
sweaty legs always stuck 
to; 
the pictures, signs, and banners that lined their walls with declarations of a deep faith and love for the Lord. 

On one of those placards are words I remember hearing quite often from my grandparents’ lips during our summer visits: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15, NASB). 

The people in Gideon’s generation were facing difficulties as a result of parents and grandparents who had failed to pass on the baton of faith. Or, if they had, this younger generation had not received it well, ignoring what could have been the key to their future spiritual success. 

My grandparents’ legacy of faith has had an astounding, far-reaching effect on their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. They’ve chosen to intentionally and strategically stand strong against the tide of untrue doctrine and to honor the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

But their legacy could never have existed had they not chosen to start 
it. Their parents were not Christians. When my grandparents met the Lord 
in their late twenties, they did an about-face to walk an entirely different life path. They taught the Word in their home and lived it out in front of my father and his siblings. 

As a result of their change, the trajectory of our entire family destiny has altered. The overflow of such deliberate mentoring has been my blessing. How grateful I am for grandparents who were brave enough to turn the tide. 

I share this not to cause you sadness if your reality is different, but to encourage you to turn the tide of your legacy if needed. Someone needs to make the change. It may as well be you ... and it may as well be now.