35/365: What Will They Remember About You?

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. ~ 3 John 1:4

How we handle our life will impact, shape, and influence those who come after us.

Every word, action, and decision does matter. Your work, career, and intentions will rust and fade - but the way you love and live will be planted in those you influence daily.

Strive to be remembered as the leader of your family and community.

GO DEEPER: Psalm 78: 1-4

NEXT STEP: Think about your decisions, words, and actions over the last few days. What parts can you celebrate as part of your influence and legacy?

wdy922

on 02/07/2023 at 02:36 PM

Being divorced I wasn't always there for my 2 boys, they are all grown now the oldest doesn't care to hear anything about the Lord while my youngest is all ears. I continue to pray for both. I'm blessed that both have a positive picture of me despite my many flaws and mistake. That they have both learned from my mistakes and aren't making them is a blessing.

Old Dude

on 02/04/2023 at 06:49 PM

I want my legacy to be better than the one that shows up for worship service on Sunday mornings.

Nick W

on 02/04/2023 at 06:04 PM

My 6 children are continuing to watch God transform my heart, daily. I'm a work in progress: flawed and sinful. But every time I fall short and let my frustrations show by yelling at them or assigning an unfair punishment (chores), the Holy Spirit convicts me and it instead becomes an opportunity for me to show them how God can redeem a person even as broken as I am, by asking God's forgiveness, repenting, and seeking the forgiveness of those I've wronged (my own children). I've always been the sole breadwinner in my family. I was working more than full time hours in a new career while taking a more than full time college course load in night classes while my oldest two were young. I don't enjoy the same closeness with those two as I do with the other four, but I pray for them daily and praise God that I still have some time with them before they're grown and gone. I will make the most of every moment: to show them my love for them, to acknowledge my flaws, to point them to Jesus, and to be an example of how God loves and how he can change anyone, so that they have lasting hope in their own lives as they grow into adults and make mistakes of their own. Praise God! Thank you for sharing, brothers. Your stories are inspiring to me.

Bobby

on 02/04/2023 at 04:05 PM

I have been blessed with 4 boys, I just hope I am setting a good example on how to be a good father, husband, brother, son, and a believer in Christ.

Brandon Pembleton

on 02/04/2023 at 03:37 PM

My life before I turned it over to God was a life defined by needing to be in conflict and problem with something at all times. The hyper competitive part of me thought I needed to win at literally everything. The only thing people seemed to remember about me was if we played ball they wanted me on their team, but in the teams of life not so much. It was my way and if someone stood in front of that there was no time for understanding on my personal victory over them by whatever means necessary. I was a bleep-hole and super quick to tap my angry mod. Those character defects still lurk, but with God I have turned it all over to Him. Slowly I began to realize the ultimate strength is empathy/compassion. To truly understand and help not defeat people. My kids of course saw this and saw the transition once I gave my life to God. Hesitant at first they were to trust me that I was saved. With time and lots of challenging experiences they began to see me go to God time and again instead of myself.. my anger. I'm glad they saw that change. It's lead to many great conversations about our past doesn't have to define our now. That our now is what truly defines us, and that God is invited into the now always in ALL situations. Only through God do I find peace in discomfort and peace in victory because I give Him the victory not myself. I pray to always be a beacon of what God can do in our lives, that I am remember for that. I love you God amen 🙏

Ethan Rogers

on 02/04/2023 at 03:28 PM

I always pray for the one's in my life that I have affected, especially the ones I have hurt. My legacy is the tiny influence and impression that I have left on the world, the good I have done. My 2 children that I raised from 1 and 5 years old are now in their 30s. one called me dad the other didn't. I like to think I did good. My biggest regret is not imparting the truth of God and the teachings of Jesus onto them. God will reveal Himself to them eventually where I had failed. I know this as fact. This is how good God is.

kurtis hatcher

on 02/04/2023 at 03:16 PM

This was a great moment of reflection for me this morning. I make a lot of split second decisions based on my moral compass of “Do the Right Thing,” and this lesson reinforced that those decisions do matter. I might not always see the reactions or ripples of those decisions, but someone else experiences them and my hope is that those actions will lead to them reciprocating those actions to others within their own lives. I don’t currently have children or a wife, but the passage from 3 John gives me hope that one day when I do that my children and wife will experience the fruit of my moral compass and decision making style. That they will remember me long after I am gone and my legacy of “Doing the Right Thing” will live on through their own lives.

Kyle Jones

on 02/04/2023 at 03:11 PM

I can definitely grow more in this area. Sometimes leadership is exhausting but it is so rewarding. I’ve never wished I could have lead less. Especially for this generation coming up. They need us just like we need the ones before us. Stand firm and deliver the truth to them.

Ashley Jarvis

on 02/04/2023 at 03:10 PM

I sat here for a while and thought on the things I would like my kids to pick up from me and never let go. Obviously first is a relationship with God, and understanding His love for them. How much they can turn to Him and trust. I think next up is forgiveness… Grace. I think any father wants for their kids a life as error free as possible. No father wants to see their child fail. But, what kind of a life would that be? Never mind that it’s not possible, even if it was, would I really want that for my children? What I’m learning is much more important, is how we respond when we fail, and when others around us fail. My kids have seen me at my worst, selfish and self centered to the extreme. When I would tell myself I was perfect and anything otherwise was someone else’s fault or doing, I also expected perfection from those around me. Once I’m willing to seek out my character defects, only then can I begin to ask God to remove them, and begin to accept His grace and forgiveness for my failures. Until I do that, how am I to know anything about showing grace to those around me? As my kids enter their teenage years, I am focused on showing them they can trust me, with the truth. I am doing my best to not overreact to their mistakes, so that hopefully they can better understand Gods grace. I want for them to have a voice in their head of reassurance and comfort, rather than criticism and condemnation.

Damon

on 02/04/2023 at 02:52 PM

I have 4 boys and this is something I try to keep present at at all times. I’m not perfect, but reading them is truly my pride and joy. I want my teachings and lessons to affect them generationally and fold them to prosper because of my witness and influence. Kids can pick up on hipocracy

Tommy Williamson

on 02/04/2023 at 02:21 PM

As reconnected to many old friends on Facebook there were a few things that many of them said they remembered about me. Some said that they remembered me for my commitment to working hard and trying my best even though I wasn’t the strongest, healthiest, biggest or smartest. However two things that they remembered about me was that I always accepted others even if everybody tended to shy away from them and that I stood out from everyone for for commitment to God. The latter two are the ones that I am happy they they remembered.

Marv Eastlund

on 02/04/2023 at 01:28 PM

My son is a master carpenter, a skill that I am severely lacking in. One day I asked him how he learned to do a particular task in his work because I never taught him that. His comment back to me was, “Dad, you taught me more than you will ever know.” That made me think about what did I teach him. Obviously, I was on stage in front of him for many years. I may not have given him the skills of carpentry, but I see honesty, integrity, commitment to marriage, not being afraid of hard work, and a desire to know Jesus as a personal Friend and Savior, traits that I tried to exemplify in my own life that are now demonstrated in his. What a blessing!

Robert McFaddin

on 02/04/2023 at 01:14 PM

I am trying to say and do the right things. My children are grown. I have a new grandson. My children have seen my faults and failures. They tell me they’ve forgiven me. They - or at least one of them - have told me they don’t think I’m the way I used to be. I was extremely selfish and immature back then. I still struggle with being selfish at times. I don’t respond to things in an immature way as much as I used to. When I try to share spiritual things with them sometimes I’m told I’m being preachy. When they were younger I was quite hypocritical at times. They can still think of those things. I try to not be preachy or like a Pharisee these days. I DO want them to know what I believe and why. Since they are grown and not as much under my influence I do say or try to share biblical truths whenever I can. I try not to bombard them though. As horrible as my marriage has been they have not seen what a true biblical marriage looks like. I grieve over that. I try to show that I love God and love their mom still.

35/365: What Will They Remember About You?

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