Perpetual Faith

Perpetual Faith

Watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.

Deuteronomy 4:9

From the time most of us were young, we wondered what to do with our lives. Amish girls are raised already knowing the answer to this question. They are to be separate from the world but also live the same as those in their community in both faith and appearance. Because the girls grow up in a closed community, the food, dress, and traditions are all they know. They live as their mothers lived and as their grandmothers lived. Very little has changed for generations.

In an Amish home a mother’s role is not only to reflect her values but also to perpetuate them. This means that the same traditions and beliefs are to continue without interruption.

Do you perpetuate your values in the young people in your life? You may value work, but do you work alongside a young person in a mentoring role? You may value community, but do you take food to a sick friend or welcome new families into your neighborhood? You may value family, but do you spend as much time with your loved ones as you do following your own dreams and goals?

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” It doesn’t say, “Tell your children about the right path.” It says, “Direct.”

Sometimes we worry about the paths our children will choose, and while the decision for which path to take will be theirs, side-by-side teaching and training will build habits that can last a lifetime.

Heavenly Father, it’s easy to know what I should pass on to the next generation, but actually doing it is hard. Give me the strength and wisdom to pass on my faith to the next generation, and when my time on earth is through, may the seeds of my faith grow and bloom in others.