Creating a heritage

One of the strong burdens the Lord has placed upon my heart is to commit my children to Him and invest in my children. When I was pregnant with my firstborn I remember wrestling with fear. Will I guide Him in the ways He needs? What if my imperfections turn Him away from the Lord? What if I invest in Him his entire life and He strays away from the Lord? I realize these are normal fears and yet I feel it is good for us to be kept on our toes. To not take parenting for granted but to see it as the vast responsibility it is. In those times of fear, which have continued in different ways as my children have grown, the Lord reminds me that I committed my children to Him when I was carrying them within me. I committed them to the Lord the day they were born and daily as they have grown. My children are God's children and they rest in the palm of His hand.

Knowing that we have committed our children to God is something to hold onto but we also have a personal responsibility to guide and direct them in the way of the Lord. As the Lord has placed this burden to invest into my children upon me  I sometimes feel that I may be failing by having a hectic schedule, losing my patience at times, or getting caught up in the fast pace of life. The Lord has been working in me, reminding me, that I have been guiding my children in the way of the Lord and they are in His hands. Again, I feel it is important for us to be kept on our toes. It can be easy to be swept away by our hectic lifestyles and yet we can't let that deter us from the beauty of investing in our children. I have learned to pray about my commitments. There are times others need me before my children and then there are times where my children need me before others. I would fail in my human flesh at this balance if I did not pray about my commitments.

So how do we commit our children to God and invest in them? To commit our children to God means daily we pray, "My child is not my own, He is yours. Place your protection over them. I entrust them to you." Anderson will be starting Kindergarten this Fall and there is a deep part of my heart that almost feels like it is grieving. Grieving that this season is over but asking the question, "Will he be safe from worldly influences?" and all the other questions and fears that come. Again, God has reminded me, "You have committed Him to me. My hand is upon Him." Committing our children to the Lord writes a beautiful heritage for their lives and future generations.

As I said above, it has been a heavy burden upon my heart to invest in my children. To ensure they have a sound heritage to then invest into their families. This morning I was reading in Exodus 20 and it says this:

 "As for those who are not loyal to me, their children will endure the consequences of their sins for three or four generations. But for those who love Me and keep My directives, their children will experience My loyal love for a thousand generations."

I have struggled this summer with our hectic schedule and yet have never strayed from doing the things God has called me to in order to create a sound heritage for my children. Yes, reading bible stories to our children and helping them to learn to love others by demonstrating it ourselves helps to build a heritage but that is not the foundation of this scripture. In order to build a strong heritage for our children we MUST be committed to God ourselves. We MUST be in His word, seeking Him daily and longing for His guidance. God longs for us to be loyal to Him. To have a deep hunger for Him. That longing is not just to grow closer to Him but for future generations to grow closer to Him.

If we are lackadaisical about our relationship with the Lord, our children will be too. If we do not have a heart fully committed to God, our children may not either. If we have a growing prayer life, our children will see and be drawn to prayer. If we have an excitement and enthusiasm about reaching people for the Lord, our kids will too. So I ask the question:

What heritage are you building for your children? 

It is heavy upon my heart that as parents we are missing the true meaning of parenting. That we are caught up in the rush of life and forgetting that with each day that rushes by it is a little piece of our children's heritage.

How can you be intentional about investing in your children?

How can you be intentional about growing your walk with the Lord?