Girl Matters

I was reminded of the importance of passing on stories and testimonies to
future generations recently when I attended my fifth grader's heritage day
presentation at school. I had such a great time listening to the student's
stories, and looking at their scrapbooks (talk a/b the difference b/t the boy’s
and girl’s scrapbooks!) and family heirlooms.

Listening to the student's share, you could tell there was a general feeling
of thankfulness for the stories (funny and serious) that were passed down from
their parents, grandparents and ancestors. There was one girl who was a direct
descendant of William Dawes Jr., one of the riders (you will probably be more
familiar with Paul Revere, the other rider) who alerted the colonial minutemen
of the approach of British troops at the outset of the American Revolution.
There were also several children who had bibles that were passed down from
their ancestors from the 1800's. Not only were they thankful and proud of their
heritage, but they especially enjoyed the stories that were passed down to
them.

Driving home from the heritage presentation, I recalled how God told the
Israelites to teach about what God had done for them to their children and to
the generations that follow (Deuteronomy 4:9) so that they will not forget, but
always remember the Lord and to follow in His ways. I began to think about my
own children and younger sisters and brothers in the faith and was challenged
on various fronts:

• Do I live my life in such a way that there are testimonies of God's love and faithfulness to share about?
• Do my stories direct their attention to God or to earthly things?
• Do my testimonies encourage them to love and obey God?

I hope you, too, will take time to reflect on what you are passing on to the
next generation.

My fifth grader is the second one from the left.