My husband has been researching our family trees using Ancestry.com. He has found some really interesting information, but what census, birth and death records can't tell is us who those ancestors really were. It's nice to know a name, but I'd really like to know where I got my green eyes (no one else has green eyes), and what were my great-great-great-grandparents like? Were they kind? Did they know Jesus?
Names and superficial information are nice, but I want to know more. Unfortunately, I may never know unless I find someone who remembers. Doing this type of research has strengthened my resolve to leave a true legacy for my children. No, not riches or property or fabulous antiques fit for Antiques Roadshow...I'm talking about the legacy of a mommy who knows the Lord and who loves Him with all her heart. A lasting legacy. An indestructible legacy. A mommy who drops everything to play and dance and sing silly songs. A mommy who builds blanket tents in the living room, and has picnics in the backyard. A mommy whose joy for life is contagious. (If you find her let me know!)
Without Jesus, I am none of those things. I'm grumpy and selfish and not a lot of fun to be with. But when I've spent time with him, I'm free to be the mommy that He has called me to be. A mommy who delights in her children. Every day I am building a foundation for my children. Every word I choose to say (or not say), and everything that we do either builds up the foundation or tears it down. I want my legacy to be children firmly rooted in the Lord. I want to know the joy "above rubies" that they all walk with God. At the end of my life, it's ok if my baking skills have never improved, or if I never quite organize the basement. I just want the world to know how much I love my husband and my children, and how much I love the Lord. It may not be information you can find on Ancestry.com, but it will be written on the one place it matters - my children's hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment