We should tell our children stories of old; how God has worked in our family. (Psalm 78:2-7)  Stories in our families are to be passed down from generation to generation. That is how the strength of families are built. Testimonies of God’s people and their faith and endurance. Testimonies of deliverance in the middle of impossibilities. 

Sometimes it is necessary for us to go through things; Or we don’t change. In my own life I’ve found that more often than not, following the guiding principles given by our Heavenly Father, has been easier said than done. Instead, I chose to take my own way; then later… sometimes much later… I’ve reaped the consequences of the seeds that I had sown. The principle of sowing and reaping is truth. It has been important for me to learn to recognize and accept the points of correction and that they were not given to hurt me, but teach me. 

A good father would rather his children abide by his given rules, but if he has to teach by correction and discipline, then so be it. But it’s so much easier to just listen to His words in the beginning. 

Our Heavenly Father tells His children whom He loves… “If you will do this… Then I will do this”.  A promise that is based on an action on our parts. So many times we expect God to fulfill His promises without us doing our part. Then we wonder why prayers aren’t answered in the fashion we think they should be answered, blaming God.

One of my favorite memories about my Pops, is how we used to sit around the fire or at the kitchen table. He talked; telling the old stories of his life as a lad. (I will insert here, that I often did not listen to my Pop’s stories, preferring to daydream instead. Now I wish that I had listened more carefully. But even if I don’t remember all the details, I do remember the essence instilled in me through the presence of the Holy Spirit). He sometimes told other stories of his life as a teenager, and then those of adulthood. Stories about his father, Rev. W.W. Jennings, who was a full time pastor during his life, but on other occasions he was a traveling preacher (that is what some preachers were called back then). He rode horseback and traveled from place to place, visiting churches and preaching. Thus, often Pop’s mother Josephine was left alone at home with her children, in the role of mother and father. I can only imagine what stories she may have had to tell about those days. Later in their life, after grandfather Jennings had passed away, an older Josephine was still at home alone, except for Pops and his sister Letha. All the other Jennings children were grown and had moved away. Or so… as I remember the story. I never got to meet either of these grandparents. They passed away a long time before my Pops met Momma.

Another story that my Momma told me was about hearing the audible voice of God when she was ten years old. Her father had recently died leaving behind her widowed mother with six children, of whom Momma was the oldest. Her mother could not read or write so Momma had to help with many things including handling of money as well as helping with her younger siblings. This was a very fearful time for her. She said one day as she was at the top of the staircase heading downstairs, she heard the voice of God say “Everything is going to be all right Mae”.  And she took God at his word, believing what He had said. Before Momma’s father had died, many times he had held her on his lap and read the Bible to her. That is where she first heard the stories of our early Bible patriarchs. You know…. Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Daniel, Joseph and Mary, Paul….   Momma had learned about God and the faith of her father. So at a very young age my she had a tiny seed of faith planted in her young heart. It grew and my mother became a woman of courage and strength with a pioneer spirit that lasted her entire life. Her faith in God never failed her. She lived to be ninety-six years old. As some could bear witness, when she met someone new, her first question would be, “Are you a Christian”…  

I watched my mother endure many trials all of my life. She was tested, but I never seen her lose her faith. I’ve seen her prayers answered many times. Every time? No!  But as I’ve now learned, until we go through some things, we can never truly understand and thus we can never relate to others in similar circumstances. I believe that sometimes God permits some hardships to come upon us because He knows that we will never understand compassion any other way. He knows His plan for us and the calling on our life that came directly from Him. He knows how we need to be equipped to fulfill our calling. We cannot be fully qualified to minister to others without love and compassion. True love and compassion only comes by “going through something”……  Is God being mean? Certainly not…  We are born for the time we are living in. Those before us couldn’t have lived in this time. God has been progressively fully growing His family, knowing that every generation will have to endure much more exposed evil than the generation before them. Our God has promised that He will not allow anything to come upon His children that they cannot bear. Believing that promise has cradled me through some very dark hours of my own life. 

So parents… talk to your children. Tell them your stories and the ones that were passed down to you from your parents. It will help set the standard. It will also help develop their faith. Faith in Him. That is why His inspired word tells us in the 78th Psalm to tell your stories to the children of your generation, so they can tell them to the next generation; the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done. Tell them about His mercies. Tell them of the difficult times. By this, we establish our testimony of the Lord. By this, they will know! 

And now, after having written all of this, I know that my stories must continue….  And they must be truth; maybe not always feel good stories, because life isn’t always about feeling good. Thankfully, this life is temporary; only a vapor the Bible says. If I pretended that being a Christian means all your troubles are over, then I would be a liar. Instead the opposite is the truth. But He said “He would never leave us or forsake us”… And the Lord didn’t say we wouldn’t have tribulation in this life. He said “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”… 

So, I will strive to be more like my Momma, who tried to be like Christ. I believe that the Lord not only liked her, He loved her!  … So ….“Are you a Christian?”  That is my question to you today.  “Do you have stories about God’s love, strength and wonderful works to pass down to your children?”  If you are still alive, then it is only because God has kept you alive. He has a plan for your life. That is a story in itself. If you have no stories, would you like to change that? You can you know!  It’s called being born again… asking Jesus to come into your heart and becoming your Savior and the Lord of your life. It’s that simple, if you truly believe and ask with a sincere heart. God sees the heart!  No one else can see and know the heart; only God. And in the heart is the truth of being born again! No one can stop you from having this new life. It is a free gift. And no one else can give it to you. Only Christ. He is the only way to God. You may ask Jesus today, to come into your heart. He is waiting for you to invite Him in. Then YOU can have a story to tell about the wonderful love of God and the difference He has made in your life. And in your families’ lives! Be the one to start the family tradition of stories around your table with your children. Or you don’t have to be a parent to start the tradition. You can be the one to tell your mom and dad about Jesus. God’s word says that “A little child shall lead them”….  And that is my story. And I will stand on it….     ajs