It dawned on me a few months ago… 2, 3, or 4 generations from now, my own family may not really know much or anything about me. If they do, my life and influence will probably be summed up in a sentence or two. “He was a pastor and leader who lived in Grand Rapids, MI most of his life and was married and had 3 daughters.” That might be it. If I’m fortunate, there may be a few more details added in there.
Yet, there’s something you and I can do now to create an unshakeable legacy of faith that will last for generations. Here’s what it is.
We can influence our family far beyond our lifetimes. Throughout Scripture, we see generations of faith impacted by those that have gone before them. God described Himself as the God of “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” He is the God of generations.
Notice the picture of this young lady in this post. She turned 16 in 1910, the year and age she came to Christ and was born again. Her name was Ethel Sager, and she was from upstate New York. Being from a family that was foreign to faith, this decision to follow Christ was not received well…at all. In fact, she was forced to choose between living at home or keeping her Christian faith.
She chose to remain true to her faith and was forced to move out at 16.
Long story short, she later became an ordained minister and married an ordained minister. Later in life, she led her entire family to Christ. Now, over 100 years later, her faith is still alive 4 generations later! Ethel Sager was my wife’s, Arianna, great grandmother. Her faith lives on in us and in our daughters.
Let me say something simple to you as a parent: PUT YOUR FAITH FIRST IN YOUR FAMILY.
In later posts, I’ll be sharing thoughts on how you can build an unshakable legacy of faith in your family that will long outlive you.
Geoff Eckart, CEO
Never The Same
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