Generations

Generations

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.

ONE MORNING as I was getting ready to write, I spent time thinking about all the authors whose words have made a difference in my life. I’d been reading devotionals written by other women for years before I ever wrote a word of my own. It started in my early twenties, when I created a habit of getting up each day, reading my Bible and a short devotional or Bible study. Women a generation ahead of me like Beth Moore, Kay Warren, Joyce Meyer, and Lysa TerKeurst would meet me every morning with a little bit of encouragement and conviction.

Now, in my early forties, I get to continue a legacy that they began years ago. My writing is not completely my own; it’s been shaped and built on the words and inspiration of the women who’ve come before me. Women who were faithful to write consistently, just as I would consistently read their words. And now, I get to offer this same encouragement to other women from the generation behind me. I find myself grateful, for those who came before, and for the women who’ll come up behind me, continuing the generational legacy of faith.

Our faith is not created or lived out in a vacuum. We are all shaped, not only by reading the Bible, but by the words spoken, sung, and written by people of faith. Some we may know personally, and others we may know simply from a distance. One generation will tell the next of the awesome deeds of God, sharing all that he has done in their lives. Offering encouragement for those who’ll come up after them, the next generation, so that they, too, will know that our God is faithful. Our God is good. Our lives become a testimony to those who’ll come after us of the greatness of our God.

Lord, thank you for the generations of faithful followers who’ve come before us. May we learn from their words and example. And help us to do the same with the generation who’ll come after us. May we commend your works to them through our words and our actions. Amen.

-Kendra

One Good Step: Thank someone who has influenced your life and faith.