One of the prayers of my life is that our faith in God would be passed on to our third and fourth generations and that our children and their children would 'stand on our shoulders' and go even deeper into God's Word and in Faith.
I like how one evangelist put it:
"Don't focus so much on what your parents didn't do right...stand on their shoulders (what they did right) and go higher and beyond where they did."
I find that so exciting and encouraging!
I've also think alot of the decisions we make today will have an effect on the future generations, whether for good or bad. Many times it is the 'small' decisions that we are careless with or think will only affect us.
As different ones were sharing Sunday night, my thoughts went to my grandparents. I never knew any of my great-grandparents. My Grandpa Yoder died when my dad was only six years old, so I knew nothing of him and Grandma Yoder died when I was very young. I have one picture of her in my mind; standing on our front porch ( a little, Amish woman) waiting for my dad to pull the car up front and pick her up for church. Grandpa Wagler passed away when I was quite young, too, although I have some memories of him. He always seemed a little strict to me and I was a wee bit afraid of him. He always cleared his throat a certain way... which I still hear in the uncles, aunts, and yes, grandchildren! ha! Grandma Wagler let us grandchildren have the run of the house and be as loud as we wished but Grandpa didn't care for that as much. I remember when we would visit them,we would always all kneel in prayer in the living room and Grandpa would pray before we went to bed. I remember Grandpa coming to visit us and then he would do funny things; like trying to ride my brothers' bikes! I watched in awe because I thought Grandpas were too old to do things like that.
Mom told me that Grandpa Wagler made a decision when his children were young that his children would not practice bed courtship (which was an Amish tradition at that time). He took a stand for that and was questioned and ridiculed for it. Grandpa had no idea then that so many years later, I, his grand daughter, and my children, his great-grandchildren, would know about his willingness to stand alone. Bed courtship is now something completely foreign to us. The iniquities of the fathers can be passed on to the third and fourth generations but they don't have to be! They can be broken and stopped! We have to recognize them, acknowledge them, repent and ask God to break their strongholds on us. One generational iniquity that our family has faced and acknowledged is....worry! I could be the queen of worry! I know how to do it well!! But I am commanded in God's Word not to worry or fret about tomorrow (or today!) and with God's power, I don't have to! It's been a journey and each of our children have had to address this iniquity. It's been so encouraging and humbling to see them rise above it. At present, Erica is addressing it in her life but such a joy to see God replace worry with faith and trust. I pray that the stronghold of worry will become weaker and weaker in the coming generations.
What will my great-grandchildren know about me?
I wonder how the decisions I am making today will affect them. If I am compromising God's Word, thinking that it really doesn't matter, can I expect to have great-grandchildren who have respect and honor for God's Word? Is it possible they could be completely heathen or even atheists?! Sounds extreme but possible? Or will they hear of their great-grandparents who followed God faithfully in the little areas and decisions of every day life?
I wonder..........
and it keeps me on my knees crying out to God
to help me realize how much I need Him
to guide my decisions every day!
Exodus 34:6-7 "...The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keepin mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,
and upon the children's children,
unto the third and fourth generation."
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