Spiritual Legacy for Our Children

This past week I've been hearing people talk about legacy--what you leave behind after you're gone. As a mother, from time to time, I too, think of what I'll bestow to my children. It is right and generous of parents to leave a monetary inheritance to their children, but what about spiritual legacy? 

It's a big challenge, and most of us probably don't know what spiritual riches we can pass on to our beloved children.Or even if we know the right values we should pass on,  we're not sure how to do it. I believe that trust in God, dependence on the Almighty's power and presence, and gratitude for God's gifts that result in a godly confidence in oneself--these are the attitudes and values that are important for our children to succeed in this world. These are the spiritual legacies I'd like them to have. 

I remember writing a magazine article a few years ago where I used the word "MOTHER" to remind us how to create a spiritual legacy for our children. Let me share it with you here briefly.

Model. A value is better caught than taught. For example, if we want our children to behave honorably, they should first see how we treat everyone around us with respect, whether in front of these people or behind their backs.

Openness.Take note of your children's questions. Their questions could be a springboard to discuss spiritual things, to share knowledge, and to impart good values. You may not know the right answers all the time, but even then, you will be creating wonderful memories for your children by just listening, talking, and laughing with them.

Trust. Since we're talking about spiritual legacy, we can not avoid mentioning God most of the time. I think we can not pass on to our children godly values, godly thoughts, and godly attitudes if we ourselves have not developed trust in God. Let's develop our trust in God through Jesus Christ.

Highlight. Highlight spiritual milestones in the lives of your children. I would define spiritual milestones as very important events in the development of a person's human spirit.Any instance when you sense that your child is open to knowing more about God--that could be a spiritual milestone.

Enrich yourself. You need to enrich yourself so that you can enrich your own children as well. Enrich yourself by reading good books and magazines. Connect with good friends. Be involved in a local church or small group where you can be taught the Bible and how to make it relevant in your life. 

Remind. Let's remind our children of their spiritual blessings. Children do not want to hear us nagging, but they will be pleased to hear how blessed they are. Remind your children of God's blessings everyday. 

Let us create a spiritual legacy, a spiritual inheritance that our children can hold on to even long after we are gone. Later on, they will be grateful that we have left to them a lasting legacy.

Moving Up, Moving Out, Moving On

This school year, my son is moving up to college. This week, my neighbors moved out of their apartment. Last week, a co-worker confided to me that she finally had a closure with her ex and now she's moving on. 

Moving gives us mixed feelings, but in the end we realize that that there are also blessings. Though a college education is more expensive, it also means that in a few years, my son will be qualified to work. It's sad to part ways with a kind neighbor, but then again now we both have a chance to meet new friends. (Besides, she left to us her manual Nautilus treadmill!) It was painful to let a person go and realize that the relationship is finally over, but this paves the way for a fresh start.

Moving up, moving out, moving on--they're parts of life. Are you moving?

Brokenness: The Heart God Revives

I was excited when I received a new book to review, but when I opened it, I wasn't as enthusiastic. The book is titled Brokenness: The Heart God Revives. I was suspicious. Does God have plans of breaking me that's why He sent me this book? In the past, books I've read have either answered my question, edified me in times of weakness, or prepared me to face a challenge. What's the purpose this time? I shelved the book but promised to read it later.

After a few weeks, I reunited with a friend whom I haven't seen in 20 years. We exchanged stories but most of the time, I let him share how his life had been since we last saw each other. He had what you might describe a "roller coaster ride"--enjoying cycles of success in his business yet enduring seasons of dryness in his spiritual life. But he repeatedly claimed that God had restored him to a renewed sense of purpose after he had been "broken". It was then that I remembered the book.

I took a renewed interest in the book. In her introduction, author Nancy Leigh DeMoss said, "This book is an invitation to encounter God in a whole new way. It is a call to discover His heart and His ways; a challenge to embrace a radically new way of thinking and living, in which the way up is down, death brings life, and brokenness is the pathway to wholeness."

I quickly turned to Chapter 1. The title is "The Heart of the Matter". A quotation from Samuel Chadwick lies at the center of the page: "It is a wonder what God can do with a broken heart, if He gets all the pieces."

I was pleasantly surprised at how things were turning out. The truth is, I was preparing for a talk for women on the topic of having a pure heart. I can see that God led me to this book so I could glean some truth to inspire my would-be audience. As I read, I jotted down notes. DeMoss described what brokenness is. She gathered portraits from the Bible and contrasted the broken and the unbroken. David and Saul. The tax collector and the Pharisee. The prodigal son and the elder brother. All of them sinned, but the first of the pairs repented, while the latter remained proud.

DeMoss led me even deeper into the kind of heart that is full of pride. In Chapter 4, she made a comparison of proud people and broken people. The list was not exhaustive but sufficient enough to prick me. God made me see how pride was hardening my heart. There are things I need to repent of if I were to continually have a fresh encounter with God and fresh filling of His Holy Spirit.

At the start, I said I was suspicious and a bit fearful that God might have plans to break me. I also said I believe God sent me this book so I could have something valuable to share to a group of ladies. Now I know it was I who needed to hear the truth first. God was speaking to me though the book. He wants me to be broken, not to destroy my personality, but to crush my self-will and make me more dependent on Him.

The heart God revives is one that is broken--humble, contrite, and in need of God's grace. When we are broken, the blessings of heaven are released--a supernatural, abundant life in Christ, deeper love and deeper worship, and anointing to minister in a fresh, mighty way.

I recommend Brokenness: The Heart God Revives to anyone who wants to have a fresh encounter with God. Brokenness: The Heart God Revives is published in the Philippines by Church Strengthening Ministry. Available at CSM Bookstore.