A Legacy of Faith

Evangelicals like to practice what many call Legacy Faith. It's their purposeful intention to raise their children in Christian homes centered around faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, passing a legacy of faith to the next generation. The idea is to keep the kids in the church and in the faith into adulthood where the cycle will begin again with their children. It's some very purposeful parenting. Sometimes it will involve home schooling or attending a Christian school to ensure the children are not polluted by the world at an early age. Christian morality is instilled in the young ones in the hope that they will continue in the faith until they are old.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Some of the most spiritually and emotionally healthy people I know were raised this way and have grown into successful adults. These same people have also successfully transitioned from their parent's faith to creating their own personal faith in Jesus.
And this is where the whole legacy thing can fall to the ground if it's not done with that intention.

At some point, Christians must come to terms with their own faith. They cannot live off the traditions they grew up with forever. Every human life is unique with it's own challenges in my opinion and that tends to effect how we believers approach God, especially as we transition into adulthood. Things can get twitchy between the ages of 18 and 25. The reality and usefulness of our faith gets tested most at that time. It is in those moments of testing that one develops their own faith and it may be different from what they were taught.

I grew up in a legacy of faith going back at least 3 generations and probably more if I knew more about my ancestors. My legacy had a bit of a legalistic bent. There was no unconditional love in my day. Grace was not taught much. Eternal destinations were determined by behavior. God's forgiveness was limited and some things just could not be fixed.

I spent my early adult years believing that I was damned by things I did not control. It was quite distressing and I eventually spent more than 16 years without a church. Through all that, I still believed the basics. I just did not celebrate it with other Christians. Then something happened in the late 1990's that changed my outlook. I discovered the unconditionality of Christ's love. I learned about His grace and forgiveness and I slowly re-entered the church world. I became an adult teacher at the church I attended, the same one I grew up in. Much had changed there during my absence and I had also changed and began searching for purpose and spiritual relevance.

Today I am almost 60 years old. I'm still teaching and practicing my faith, but since retirement I have begun to question some things again. I have written about this recently in previous posts and I think it might be my last faith hurdle before death. That remains to be seen. Whatever the case, I think part of this springs from the fact that what faith I now have, is all my own to practice. My parents are both dead. I'm an orphan.

I used to be concerned about what they would think about my life choices and how they would react if they knew I felt the Christian liberty to do things that they thought were of questionable morality.

I no longer have that in my life. I no longer have to be good so that Mommy and Daddy will continue to love me. I have to be good and obedient because I love God and I want to serve Him.

Right now, I have to confess that I'm not feeling His presence. I have trouble praying about anything, but the most rudimentary prayers of thanksgiving. I find myself wondering if prayer really works for anything else. I do not sense His Holy Spirit in me or my life. I should be a changed man, but I find I still struggle with the same issues I have always struggled with. And when does that end? Do I have to die to enjoy a moment without temptation?

I need to leave a legacy of faith when I leave this world and I would like to feel, to know His presence before I get to the end of the road. I want some victory in the here and now and not just some pie in the sky hope for a better life after death. Does that happen?

A man at church recently passed away. He had a life history of drunkenness, drugs, violence and jail time. When he came to Jesus, all of that changed for him. He knew the changing power of the faith in a way that I have yet to experience. He was enabled to just let go of it all and live in faith.

I covet his experience. I want these last things (mostly my SSA) gone from my life before I die. Why is that not happening? Is it so much a part of me that only death will kill it? I hate living this way and I always have. To be obedient, I have to go through life without a partner because I can't make it work like straight folks.

Why does God not change this for me? Where's my new life? Is this my cross? I could use some "Comforter" type action here. Just saying.

My legacy is facing some real danger here.