What Will They Remember? and Legacy Leaver Thursdays

Welcome! Thank you so much for joining us for our “Legacies” series!
Please take a moment to head over to the Encouraging Home for our GIVEAWAY!

I am excited to announce that today is our first link up party, Legacy Leaver Thursdays! First we’ll be hearing from our guest blogger for day four in our “Legacies” series.

I want to welcome Jenifer from Sweet Blessings. Jenifer is a writer that displays a heart for the Lord in all that she says and does. As I was growing up, coming from a family with two older brothers, I always wished I had a sister. I know God has blessed me with a sister in Christ through Jenifer. Please take a moment to stop by her blog, and read her inspirational messages.

They say if you just blink, your kids grow up before your eyes.  I am beginning to believe that statement.  My oldest child is now fourteen years old.  I remember when she was a baby as though it were only yesterday.  I am the blessed mother of four children, the above mentioned fourteen year old daughter, twelve year old son, eleven year old daughter and nine year old son.  My kids are growing up so fast.  I can hardly believe this is our last year in the single digits.  It brings a bitter sweet tear to my eye as I type this.

One day my children will go off to college, marry, and have their own homes and families.  As not only their mother, but also their teacher, it is my job to prepare them for the life.  I am the one to teach them to tie their shoes, understand math, how to iron, read and so much more.  There are many important things that they need to know for their future.  I want my daughters to know how to serve and care for their families.  I want my boys to know how to treat their wives and be involved with their children.

When I stop and think about the number one thing I want my children to learn from me, it is an easy answer.  The legacy I want to leave my children is a relationship with Christ.  If they have a true, deep, intimate relationship with their Creator, all else will fall into place.  Does it mean their life will be perfect?  Always easy? No.  But it does mean that when they are walking with God, He will give them the wisdom and power they need.

Teaching my kids to read is fairly easy.  Teaching my kids to iron is easy.  Teaching my kids to wash dishes, mow the lawn, bathe dogs and all of those necessary things is easy.  Even if they struggle with something, it will eventually come to them.  But how can I teach them to walk with God? 

By an example.  By praying daily for them.  By praying with them.

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.  Proverbs 22:6

A few years ago I committed to taking my relationship with God to the next level.  To having a real connection with Him, not just living as a Sunday morning Christian.  Part of that is spending time with God on a daily basis.  My children saw this example.  They saw me at the dining table each morning praying and reading my Bible.  They saw me carry my Bible into my bedroom in the evening for extra time in the Word.  They heard praise music flooding our home.  A few months later, I would go into my daughters’ room to tuck them in and find them with their Bibles in their hand.  Oh make a mama’s heart melt!  My sons soon began their own Bible reading time as well.  That is leaving a legacy my friends.  That is what I want my children to learn.

This is the legacy I want to leave my children.  A legacy of walking with God.  This is how I want my children to remember me, on my knees before God.  I want my children to remember the times mommy prayed for them.  The times mommy read the Bible with them.  The times mommy talked about Jesus and served others out of the love of Christ.  I don’t care if they remember that I made good cookies or kept the carpet vacuumed.  I want them to remember that I loved Jesus with my heart, mind and soul.

What legacy are you leaving your children? 

Bio: Jenifer is a child of God, wife to Jeremy and mother to four blessings.  She joyfully serves alongside her pastor husband and homeschools her children.  She is the founder and co-leader of Woman to Woman Ministries and loves to encourage women to live the life God has called them to.  You can find her blogging at www.jenifermetzger.org or over at Woman to Woman at www.w2wministries.org.

Please click the following links to read previous posts in the “Legacies” series.

 Day One ~Preparing to Leave A Godly Legacy~
Day Two ~A Mom’s Faithfulness~
Day Three~ Living A Legacy

Now it’s time for our first link up party, Legacy Leaver Thursdays!

The purpose of this link up is to share anything that God places on your heart that’s related to ways you can leave a legacy for your family and friends. It’s also here to provide words of encouragement for one another.

Your posts can be related to what types of legacies you would like to leave for your children and grandchildren, in any area you can think of such as spiritual, educational, home making, leadership, and so much more! You can also share stories of Godly legacies from your past and how they have encouraged you today. You can also post words of hope that will be uplifting to one another as we walk this road together.

This link up will be happening every Thursday at Leaving a Legacy. Please tell your friends, and join us on this journey of leaving a Godly legacy for future generations!

• To link up go to the sidebar and get the code for the Legacy Leaver Thursdays button, right click and “save as” on the code and then upload it into your post. Or you can provide a direct link some where in your post linking back here. That way other bloggers can join in too!
• Then copy and paste the direct link from your post, (not your blog url), into the linky tool below.
• In order to create and encouraging community here, please take a moment to visit the person in front of you.

I hope you have felt uplifted and renewed while visiting Leaving A Legacy. I want to take a moment to invite you to get additional updates that are not posted here on the blog by connecting with us through Facebook and Twitter. You can also subscribe to Leaving A Legacy and have the latest posts delivered right to your email or RSS feed.