I once heard a story about a little boy who came to his father and asked, “Dad, where did I come from?” The dad, of course, not nearly ready for this conversation, stumbled over his words, stuttered around a little bit, and finally came up with the story that his little boy was left by a stork. His son replied, “Oh. My friend Johnny says he came from Tennessee.”
Where we come from matters.
Our oldest daughter just returned from a business trip to Italy, which is really interesting because her maternal grandfather is Italian and she was able to see at least a part of his homeland. I’ve done a lot of family research as a hobby, and I think it’s fascinating to look at genealogy and learn the stories of your ancestors. One thing I’ve learned about my family history is that I come from a long line of people who placed their faith in Jesus Christ.
That thought always takes me to 2 Timothy 1:5, where Paul says to Timothy:
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”
Timothy owed an awful lot to his mother and grandmother, who passed down their faith to him. Those two ladies had no idea that they would still be making an impact over 2000 years later. Decisions they made are still reverberating through the generations.
Let me pause just for a moment to tip my hat to those followers of Christ who did not have their faith passed down to them from their family. You came to Jesus without hearing about him from birth, without learning to sing “Jesus Loves Me” from the time you could talk. You’re an example to many people, and I commend you.
In my life, I’m so thankful for grandparents and parents who taught me about Jesus from an early age. By passing their faith down to me, they helped to shape me into the man I am today.
More important, however, than the impact your ancestors had or did not have on you is, what impact are you making on others? What about your family? If you have children, what legacy are you leaving for them? Are you teaching them about Jesus and how important he is in your life? Do your children see you reading your Bible? Do they see you pray, and not just the occasional blessing before a meal? Do they understand that when bad things happen, because of your faith, you are not shaken? Are they learning from you lessons that will shape the rest of their lives?
What about beyond your family? Are you making a difference in the lives of your friends, co-workers, neighbors, total strangers? Are you setting an example they want to follow? If they ask you why you are “different,” can you tell them the difference Jesus has made in your life? Can you share with them how they can experience the same thing?
The truth is that there are people out there who you can’t impact for Jesus that I can. And there are people out there who I can’t impact for Jesus that you can. If you are a follower of Christ, I promise that you have been perfectly positioned by God to be the person he wants to use to impact someone’s life for him. Who could that be?
If you’re a believer, someone somewhere cared enough about you to share the truth of Jesus with you. Are you ready to pass that forward? I challenge you to say to Jesus, “I have no idea what I’m doing or what I’m supposed to say or who it is that you’ve placed in my path, but I ask you to use me.” If you will sincerely begin to pray that prayer, God will move and you will begin to make a difference that will last beyond your life on this planet.