What have you done: Three

I want to be remembered for my relationship with God … that people can say of me, “He is a man of God.”

I want to be remembered for my marriage … that people will say that Frankie was able to put up with him for 60+ years!

I also want to be remembered by and for my children and grandchildren. Have you ever thought about the legacy you are leaving for your children and grandchildren? When you look at them will you look with shock and say “What have I done!” OR when you see them will you proudly and silently say in your heart “Look what I have done.”

Most of us don’t abuse physically, verbally or spiritually but there is a lot we do that destroys our legacy through them.

The strongest influence we have on our kids is how we love God and how we love each other. Children and grandchildren THRIVE in a house full of love and absent of fear.

The next strongest influence we have on our children is how we use our time. Do we sit in front of a TV or Computer all day or do we go out on “adventures” and other activities? Children watch how you spend your time and they will emulate that. ALSO do we actually SPEND TIME with them or do we ignore them? I don’t mean watching TV together, I mean playing a game, playing with blocks or Matchbox cars. We need to spend quality time with them. AND the best quality and family time you can spend is to go to church together, as a family.

Food is a BIG influence on children. Not just whether they get it or not but when and what they get to eat. We all know what is junk and what is good for a growing body. Is that what we eat and give them to eat? I am not saying that an occasional McD’s is from the devil but I am saying McD’s or the like every day is devilish and will ruin kids.

Take a look at your kids right now. Or mentally take a look at your future children and grandchildren, what is the legacy you are leaving them. What will they say about you? What would they say about the home they grew up in? What demons are they dealing with that you introduced them to?

One of my favorite quotes from an unknown author, “Children are the living messages a mother sends to a future she will never see.”

I pray that I can leave my children and grandchildren a loving, supportive and healthy legacy. And I will do my part now to work on that. It is never too late to start.