“One generation shall laud your works to another and shall declare your might acts” Psalm 145:4
I just returned from a Mediterranean cruise and was struck by the footprint the Apostles had in Italy, Greece and Malta. The sheer number of churches testifies to the great impact these mighty men of God had, throughout the region. Yet, during a tour of Malta, I was also saddened by the statistics that a resident tour guide shared with us. While Malta has 400 churches and historically, was comprised of 93% practicing Christians, only 36% of the population is practicing today. What does this tell me? There has been a generational break in the spread of Christianity.
This generational break is felt here in the U.S. as well, with many young people having no reference point at all, as far as family church attendance and the Christian influence of godly parents. What are we to do? The answer is simple – stand in the gap.
I am fortunate to have been the recipient of such a godly influence in my life. My Mother was a great woman of faith. She and her mom received Christ into their hearts at one of the very first Billy Graham crusades in Madison Square Garden in NYC in 1957. From that legacy, my mom not only brought me to church (sometimes twice a week) until I was 18, but more importantly, she consistently modeled the fruit of the Spirit, throughout her life.
In her, I saw the attributes of a godly woman, whose eyes were steadfastly fixed on Christ, day in and day out. Post graduation from high school, into college, I veered away from my godly roots and my childhood commitment to Christ. I resisted surrendering the entirety of my life to Christ, thinking surrender would cost me my goals and ambitions for my life.
God’s word tells us to “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 KJV) and this has certainly been true in my life. As I ran from God, toward my goals and dreams of becoming a successful NYC executive, the tug on my heart from my godly roots never departed, nor did the godly influence of my mother.
It was only upon achieving everything I wanted, in terms of worldly success, that I realized how empty these things are – absent God. As I reached the point of full-out surrender to Christ, I realized that making Christ my Lord – would only bring addition to my life, not subtraction.
You can invest your life in others generously. For those that are mothers, grandmothers, aunts, godmothers – to children and spiritual children – I encourage you to not underestimate the power of your example, on the next generation. While you may not see the fruit of it yet, just keep watering the seeds you plant with godly love, and there will be a harvest in the next generation. It may not come in your timing, or in the way you expect – but surely God will accomplish it as you are faithful to model godly principles and behavior, even in the face of resistance. What a blessing to know that while we sow the seeds, it is God who brings the harvest.
To learn more you can read Dawn’s book God of My Everyday.
