A Devotional from the FamilyLife daily devotional for couples. Great reminder:
The Loss of Legacy
For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children.
Psalm 78:5
I cringe at findings like the following from the 2000 census, as reported by the Department of Health and Human Services. These are family statistics comparing white children and African-American children:
- Living in families with a father and mother—75.2 percent of white children and 33.3 percent of African-American children
- Living in single-parent families—17.7 percent of white children and 46.2 percent of African-American children
- Living with no parent at all—3.7 percent of white children and 12 percent of African-American children
As I read these, I think of my friend Crawford Loritts sharing a tribute to his dad on our radio broadcast one day, thanking him for his faithfulness as a father:
Thank you for choosing not to get paid triple time on Christmases and other days when we needed the money living in that small Newark apartment, because you wanted to spend time with your kids. Thank you for not buying new cars until after we were grown because you wanted to have money for vacations…. Thank you for teaching me and telling me that I’m a man and for standing with me during hard times.
Everything I am today is because of you, Dad. You never made a big splash and you never blew your own trumpet, but you quietly did the deed.
It’s sobering to consider how quickly a legacy can be lost when a father is not there for his children. It’s heartbreaking to think of the kids who are growing up disconnected from families and a generational heritage of faith—both in African-American homes and many others across the racial spectrum.
Oh, how today’s children of all races desperately need the hearts of their fathers to return to their calling!
Discuss
What are you doing to secure a spiritual legacy in your family?
Pray
Pray for the healing of all the families of our nation and world—and for children who need to know both father and Father.
source: http://links.familylife.mkt7839.com/servlet/MailView?ms=MTI4MzgxNjMS1&r=MjU1NDQ4ODY1Mzc2S0&j=MTQwMTU0MTA3OAS2&mt=1&rt=0
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