My refrigerator is full of children's pictures. When I am busy in the kitchen, I look over at that side of the room and pray for the different children. But I have left a spot for one magnet that simply says Faithfulness..

Proverbs 3:3 – Let love and faithfulness never leave you.
Bind them around your neck, write them on your heart.

Celebrations and Memories

Our church recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. There were incredible speakers, great food and fellowship. There were also reminders of the past 20 years – from church trivia icebreakers on the tables to photograph murals on the walls depicting our church family through the years. As we listened to the biblical challenges, it proved to be a wonderful testimony of God's faithfulness. From the memories of the activities the children were involved in to the encouragement of seeing young children I once taught, now teenagers striving to know, love, and follow Jesus. Joy and tears, victories and failures filled those years but God has clearly been working His plan in this church and in my life and my family. He has been faithful.

A Legacy of Faith

Most important to us in our local church and also for faithful parents is that we leave a Legacy of Faith for our covenant children. Living a life that defines faithfulness is an important part of this process. Some practical ways to do this:

• Teach your children by always keeping your word – always do what you say you will do.
  
• Always take time to care about their needs.
  
• Especially when they are young, don’t let too much time lapse between what you say and when you do it.
  
• Make sure your weekly routine has a few things in it that you repeat (faithfully).
  
• Attend church faithfully.
  
• Visit Grandma and Grandpa faithfully.
  
• Help your children understand that even things that aren’t pleasant have to be done regularly. Someone has to clean up after the dog every other day so the yard stays nice for the kids to play.

We enjoy some of these tasks but it’s ok to let your children see that some of these tasks are not fun! Cleaning up the dog mess is something I could live without but doing even the messy jobs cheerfully and well helps children understand that we need to be faithful to those things we consider important and that help make our lives better.

One of my favorite songs is "May He Find Us Faithful" by Jon Mohr.

Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful,
may the fire of our devotion light their way.
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe,
and the lives we live inspire them to obey...
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone,
and our children sift through all we left behind,
may the clues that they discover and
the memories they uncover become the light that leads them to
the road we each should find...

Faithfully Record

Keep scrapbooks or journals, record "memorial stones," or use verses to help remind your children what God was doing in your lives at the time. These mementos will offer a record of faithfulness for them to enjoy in years to come.

A Treasure

Faithfulness is living for God in the routine – over and over. Model it and your children will learn what it looks like. As they mature and understand God's Word, they will also better understand His gift and promise of faithfulness. And as you mature and understand God’s Word, His faithfulness in your family will be your treasure.

Share your response to this article?