You Can Rebuild Your Legacy
You're creating a new way.
Those were hard words to receive and actually believe. I was so busy focusing on what I didn't do right that I lost sight of all that I was doing to build a new legacy for my family line.
Maybe that's where you find yourself today . . . keenly aware of what you've come from and totally overwhelmed by how that's influenced your mothering.
We can’t help but repeat what we’ve learned. It's easy to place blame. It's easy to make excuses. It's hard to own it and choose a new way.
But hard isn't impossible when the God of the Universe is on your side.
No matter what marred your past. No matter what you've done up to this point.
You have a choice before you today.
You can choose to build a new legacy for your family.
You can shift your focus towards cultivating an emotionally and spiritually healthy life for yourself and your children. You can deal with the sin hidden in your heart before the Lord. You can cultivate community to helps you walk this faith journey with unswerving devotion to God, no matter your circumstances.
You can rebuild, by the power and grace of God.
In the same way, Nehemiah recognized that the wall around Jerusalem needed rebuilding, we can set out to do the same for our family following the pattern sown throughout Scriptures:
One: Start with prayer, fasting, and confession (Nehemiah 1:4-11).
Bring before the Lord all that you’ve experienced, the choices you’ve made, and the place you find yourself today. It may not be easy to do this alone. A Christian counselor or coach can make all the difference.
Two: Take time to reflect, research, learn, and make a plan (Nehemiah 2:12, 13, 17-19).
Before Nehemiah got to work leading the people to rebuild the wall, he set out on a scouting mission to see what needed to be done. Once he had a sense of the problem, he rallied the workers, first reminding them of the purpose and then of God’s character and identity. The same can apply for us through identifying the problem areas in our own hearts, then in our marriage, parenting, and the way we’re leading in the care of homes. With that fresh insight, we can look for the resources and support to help us grow.
Three: Be prepared 24-7 for opposition from your one true enemy.
The enemy of God is out to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) your efforts to live for God’s glory and lead your family according to the Word. So you must be armored up at all times, just like those who did the work on the wall. The laborers carried their loads with one hand and weapon in the other — our weapon is the Word of God, it’s our sword (Ephesians 6). Spend time reading the Scriptures daily, memorize the victorious promises of God, write them on your walls and dashboards and mirrors. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs all day long.
Four: Cultivate a community to support the work (Nehemiah 4:19-23).
We were never meant to do this family thing alone. We need the support of others in the body of Christ who are seeking to build a legacy that glorifies God. Yes, plugging into a church may not be easy, but it is necessary to find that kind of community that leads to growth. Just take a moment to read through Nehemiah 3 and 4, you can see how many people and their various gifts were part of the rebuilding effort. While some were working, others were standing guard. When they went apart for their individual work, they listened for the trumpet to remind them to come back together. The same principles are found in Romans 12 illustrating the work of the body and Acts 2 describing the church. We need each other. Plain and simple.
It is possible to build a new legacy, my friends. I’m living proof . . . and still in the making. Sure, there are times I fail. My children will absolutely have to choose the legacy God is going to write in their story, hopefully leaving out the worst of what I’ve passed on to them. But with confidence, I know this much is true:
God is the master rebuilder, more than capable of taking our disheveled brokenness and creating a new foundation for building a remarkable legacy of His grace and love.
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