What Is Your legacy As A Parent

“The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.” –   Proverbs 20:7.

What spiritual legacy will you leave behind? If you examined all that you have achieved or accomplished, what would you believe is the most meaningful for you. That is a good question but we need to remember that a legacy is what is meaningful to those we leave behind, not necessarily what is most meaningful to us. Leaving behind wealth and money is certainly helpful to our heirs but if your life is devoted to earning these things at the expense of time with those we love, how great of an inheritance is that really?  

Solomon tells us that the best thing we can do for our children is to be righteous and walk in integrity.  In Proverbs 20:7 we read about the godly walk with integrity. This means that he or she does what is right in the sight of the Lord.  They live in a way that honors and glorifies God. It is similar to  Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 11 that he desired for them to walk in “sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (vs. 3 NIV)    

Hopefully, we make regular assessments of our sincere and pure devotion to Christ and our sincere and pure devotion to our children. Ask yourself, “what are my goals as a parent? What would I like our family to be like?” “Have I been intentional?” God designed us as parents to not only protect and nurture our kids but supply their spiritual needs as well. We need to talk to them about God’s unconditional love. We need the Spirit to help guide our conversations. We need to learn how to have conversations rather than interrogations. And we need to help them apply what they learn in their daily lives.

Being a parent isn’t easy….it’s hard work. Children sure do change you and challenge everything you thought about life. All parents want what’s best for their children. They want to do right by them, and they want them to have a good life. We ensure that by focusing on our own lives first. Am I walking in integrity? Am I living an authentic life? Am I following Jesus? 

A godly legacy begins when we’re intentional parents who create a home that honors God.  Children thrive best in an atmosphere of genuine love, supported by reasonable, consistent discipline. In this day and time, with so much trying to win the hearts and minds of our children, we can’t just rely on hope or luck to raise godly children. We must be intentional and make a choice to parent according to God’s Word and make it a priority to infuse that into every choice we make.

Whether you are just beginning your parenting journey, or you have grown kids and you are entering a new phase of parenting, embrace where you are at in the journey and make the most of it. Enjoy your kids and have fun with them, because when it comes to parenting, the days seem to drag on forever, but the years go by in the blink of an eye, and your kids are worth it.

Discussion Questions:

1. What can we do short and long-term to be intentional about our choices to make sure they line up with God’s Word and the legacy you hope to create.