How to Leave a Legacy of Faith Explained

by Brenda Boen
April 24, 2008

#1 TELL IT – Remember schools and churches don’t raise children…parents do! Teach what the Bible says…to be honest, trustworthy, have integrity, depend on God, never lie, to be like Christ, etc.

Duet 6:5-says: “Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your homes and on your gates.”

In other words……always be telling it. Tell what the Lord has done for you. You may not know God’s Word but you know what He’s done for YOU in your life.

But we don’t just tell our “children”. We influence our husbands, friends, neighbors, co-workers, other family members….everyone we come into contact with, so….TELL IT!

#2 LIVE IT– We create a legacy of faith not by grand plans, but by what we do everyday. How we act, have we respond, how stress affects us. How we handle situations. Where we go when we need help….to God! Be Christ’s example…a living Bible for others to read because you are an open book. You are also God’s hands and feet on earth….so LIVE IT!

#3 DOCUMENT IT – Record your spiritual journey. Our beliefs make up who we are. I want my children and grandchildren to know the prayers I’ve prayed, the blessings I’ve received, the lessons I’ve learned, how God has worked in my life and how He can work in their lives. I want to tell my story. If I don’t tell it, who will?

You know, I am more than a mother, a friend, a sister. My character is defined by my beliefs, my personality and the way I interact with others.

We tend to forget over time what others say so getting it on paper is always a great idea. I do, fortunately have some written accounts of some of my ancestors. Others are just a fog….no clue. Your story can get lost if you don’t document it.

How many of you know what your great grandmother was like, what she believed, what she did, how she reacted to life? Her accomplishments, her thoughts, her victories and her battles? Did she work? What were her hobbies? Do you know how she responded to stress? Did she have a relationship to God? Did she depend on God and live for Him?  Knowing that your grandmother knew how to sew and make quilts is interesting but knowing she depended on God will impact your life and strengthen your faith.

There are Three Ways to Document and Record Your Spiritual Journey

#1 Take what God has taught you and put it on a page for others to read. You can become an author and write a book – do a biography and tell what God has done in your life.

#2 Journal your thoughts in written text or book form. This a great way especially for those who love to read. Write down your thoughts and date each one. Jot down those God moments. A wonderful way!

#3 Make a Legacy of Faith Scrapbook or a photo album plus journaling and other things to make it pretty and enjoyable to look at. Everyone usually has family photos and loves to look at them. The photos help to tell the story with more than just words.

I’ve never been that big of reader. I would love to have a journal written by my grandmother, etc. BUT…..page after page of text can be daunting for me. I love photos and pretty things. They draw my attention. A scrapbook will do it all. It’s also my creative outlet.

As you begin to record your spiritual journey it will build others faith as well as your own when you see how God has worked in your life. It will also let people know who you really are.