The Light in the Window

2 Timothy 1:5, 13-14

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.
What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you–guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

My mother’s parents lived behind us on our Indiana farm. At five o’clock every morning, I got up to do the morning chores: milk the cow, slop the hogs, and feed the chickens. And each morning, without fail, I saw my Grandma Miller’s lamp from her living room window as she read her Bible and prayed for two hours. What an example and inspiration to an impressionable teenager! Hers was not the only example I saw—my parents read the Bible and prayed with my brothers and me almost every day. They and others lived godly lives for us to see. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to mention all the good examples I had.

How about you? Who was your example? How did you learn about the love of Jesus? If not from your parents or grandparents, it may have been from a friend, coworker, roommate, or just someone you happened to see from time to time. It could even have been indirectly, like from a book, or a TV or radio program. Take time to thank God for the legacy you have been given. But don’t let it stop there—take every opportunity to pass it on yourself—to your children, your friends, those you work with, neighbors, social club, and those who just happen to cross your path.

The Bible says of God’s words, “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 11:19). Don’t let your legacy die. Pass it on.