My grandmother on my father’s side lived until she was 103 years old. She was born in 1900 and lived until 2003. Her sister, Gracie, lived to the age of 106. She was born in 1894 and died in 2000, putting her in the rare club of those who lived in three different centuries.
More important than longevity, my Dad would say ‘faith’ is the most important aspect of heritage. He recently told me that if he could recommend any message to believers today, it would be Paul’s second letter to Timothy. Written in prison, II Timothy contains the last recorded words of Paul before he was executed in Rome.
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, to Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 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.” (II Timothy 1:1-5)
What type of faith do we want to pass down to our children and to our children’s children? Lauren Daigle sings a passionate prayer:
“I want to seek You first.
I want to keep You first.
More than anything I want, I want You first.
You are my Treasure and my Reward;
Let nothing ever come before I seek You first.”
Children who witness authentic faith in their home have the advantage of seeing that God is real. May Jesus truly be our Treasure and may all around us “taste and see that the Lord is good.”
“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 5:33
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that takes refuge in Him.” Psalm 34:8