The Family Legacy

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15

Jane was at work when she got the news that her father was in hospice care. Her brother urged her to come quickly and see their dad before he was gone.

When Jane arrived, she found her father hooked to various machines, dozing in and out of sleep. “When I saw him, all I could think about were all the nights I’d seen him stumble into the house drunk. His sober moments actually stand out in my childhood memories because they were so rare.”

While her dad slept, Jane cried softly. “I had just learned I was pregnant three weeks earlier. My father was an alcoholic, both of my brothers were, and I thought about my family’s legacy.”

Whether good or bad, every parent leaves a legacy. The legacy your parents left you might be filled with sweet memories that warm your heart or your parents may have given you a legacy of pain and shame.

You can’t change what your parents did or said. But that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to repeat history. You can choose to start a new branch on the family tree. Like Joshua, you can choose to become a household that serves God.

God, help me and my household to honor You. I want my family to walk in ways that please You. Show me how to encourage and love my family. In Jesus’ name, Amen.