We are Called to Pass Down Faith

“Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised, and His greatness is [so vast and profound as to be] unsearchable [incomprehensible to man]. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty and remarkable acts. On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. People will speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will tell of Your greatness. They will overflow [like a fountain] when they speak of Your great and abundant goodness and will sing joyfully of Your righteousness.” (Psalm 145: 3-7, AMP)

My mom has been cleaning out the basement of her house. How do I know? Over the past week, I’ve gotten numerous texts asking if I want her to keep or send me certain childhood items to pass onto any children I may have one day. Disney VHS tapes, college decor, you name it. 

Well, one item she texted me, she knew I’d want to keep: the picture Bible that I’d always kept as a child. What I didn’t remember, was that someone very special had gifted that Bible to me: my Nana Jennie. 

Nana Jennie wasn’t my actual grandmother. She was my grandmother’s sister, but when I was little, I saw her constantly and didn’t know the difference. It’s funny to think now, at 27-years-old but when I was a kid, between my grandparents, great-grandparents, and people I considered grandparents, I thought everyone had 7 or 8 grandmas and grandpas. 

Nope, turns out it was only me. But my Nana Jennie was special to me. Like her sister, she dyed her hair red, had long nails, and dressed glamorously. I loved going to her house because she had a pool with a slide and a deep end, and she always had something planned for me to do with her. Unfortunately, she went to be with Jesus so long ago– and I was so little– that I don’t even remember how long it’s been.

But little pieces of her can be found all over my life, if you look close enough. I keep her picture in my jewelry box. I wore her earrings on my wedding day. Every now and then, I dream about her, always dressed in red and vibrantly happy.  

But over time, I forgot the piece of her that I’ll forever be grateful she shared with me: that little picture Bible that I pored over most of my childhood years. A Bible I held on to all this time, hoping that one day, I’ll read that precious Word with my children. But I forgot that this wonderful woman of God chose to share her faith with me, and God has been gracious enough to not only have held me all this time, but to have matured that faith so much deeper.

And I can’t believe I nearly forgot it, but she wrote in that Bible the following inscription: “I give this to you with love. You have a piece of my heart no one else can enter. You will read this book as you grow. Keep it always and read it to your children. When you are at Nana Jennie’s [house], I have the same book and I will read it to you. Jesus will always keep and watch over you.”

Even now, as I read those words again, tears come to my eyes. Of course, it takes a village, and Nana Jennie wasn’t the only one to give me the pieces of Jesus that formed the foundation of my faith. But in this moment, 27 years after the fact, I am so thankful for each and every one that was given, taught, and nurtured within me from the amazing figures in my life that were there to be the hands and feet of Jesus. 

Today’s key verse says, “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty and remarkable acts.” Truth be told, family is the oldest ministry there is. Adults raise their children in the way they should go so they will not depart from it. And I say “adults” intentionally, because so many of the evangelists in my life weren’t just my mother and father, but all of my many grandparents– by blood and by name– aunts, uncles, church family, and much later, even my husband. All working together as God reveals more and more of himself to me.

My point? God is great. He is highly to be praised. He is powerful and filled with glorious splendor. He is every single thing that psalm attributes to Him. And we can know Him, be a part of His kingdom, and delight in His splendor. Our only tasks are to believe, follow Him, and tell others about Him so they might know Him too.

Evangelizing can be scary; I get that. I am that way, too. I feel intimidated to share Christ sometimes with people when I’m not sure how they’re going to react to the Gospel. But like I said before, the best ministry is our family. If we can’t shine Jesus’ light there, where can we shine it? As an adult, I am so fortunate to be able to look up to my family that cared enough to tell me about Jesus when I was so young, and my natural reaction should be to just as easily share it when I have children of my own. 

If you already have children, great! You have an easy point to start at. But if you don’t, there’s always ways to be creative, without waiting to have your own family one day. Maybe that stage of life is a long way off as you read this this morning, but I guarantee there’s a child in your life somewhere: a sibling, a younger cousin, a niece or nephew, the children in your church. Somewhere, there is a child that needs to know Jesus; and truth be told, children are the easiest way to get your feet wet if you’re nervous about evangelism. They don’t have any societal expectations set on religion or any predisposition to the Bible. They are receptive, and they love to spend time with others. Don’t feel like anything you say would fall on deaf ears. 

In all reality, that’s the way family ministry is supposed to function. You were young once, and maybe someone shared Jesus with you. Well, now that you're older, it’s time to turn around and do the same. Generation to generation, it is our job to praise God and serve Him with such passion, that the next generation can’t help but know Him.

Together, with the rest of my family, I remember my Nana Jennie. I am thankful that she was a precious role model to me of the impact of Christ, from when I was a child, and even today years after she’s gone. Thank you, Jesus, for putting people like her all throughout my life, that could show me your love. Help me to be that to someone else, and make me the kind of woman that can lead the children you grant me one day in the same path.