We all want to pass our faith on to the ones we love. But too often the people in our lives don’t share our deeply held faith.
In today’s fast moving world, everyone is so busy. They’re overcommitted, stressed and distracted. Gone are the days that families would gather every Sunday for family dinner and share stories of the past.
So when can we share the faith that we so deeply wish to pass on to our loved ones?
Others influence our loved ones to leave our faith behind to choose to follow something else or nothing at all. Our culture encourages the worship of self, money, fame, influence, celebrities, athletes and everything except the one true God.
When King David faced seemingly impossible situations, he reminded himself of the times that he, with the help of God, had previously overcome overwhelming obstacles.
If we follow King David’s lead, we can recall the times that God answered our prayers and somehow brought us through difficult times. Think about it, you’ve survived every one of your worst days.
So, if we want to pass our faith along to the people we care most about, let’s do like King David and remind ourselves of the ways God has brought us, and others we know, through the toughest of times. Let’s share those stories with the people we love.
God’s glory speaks for itself through the stories of the miracles we’ve experienced ourselves and those we’ve seen in the lives of others. In telling those stories, we’re not forcing our faith on others, but rather we’re sharing the reason for the hope we have. God tells us in 1 Peter 3:15, “… worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.”
While you may not have stories of the types of miracles that are instantaneous resolutions to seemingly impossible situations, you do have stories of difficult times that eventually worked out beautifully. These answered prayers are no less miraculous than any other. Every miracle is preceded by a painful situation, so think about all that you've successfully survived and of the ways that God brought you through.
Too often God’s beautifully woven answers to prayer are dismissed as coincidence or credited to human effort. Our written stories of the ways that our Father has intervened on our behalf give credit where it’s rightfully due, setting the record straight.
When we write down our stories of answered prayer, we save them for all time. Those stories stand as our testimony of encouragement for people who are going through hard times. They are our words of wisdom in the lives of others when we aren’t able to be there.
Imagine someone you love awake in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because of the fear and anxiety they’re experiencing. They see your book sitting on the shelf untouched, and finally out of desperation, they open the book. As they read the first words on the first page, they hear your voice speaking to them. Comforting them. Shining the light in the direction of the way out of the darkness that surrounds them.
Your written stories of faith, hope and love will be there for your loved ones to read and pass on when you can't be there.
You don’t need a book, a coach or a program to write your stories. But if you do want help, I would be honored to do so. That’s why I created the Write Your Book In Days Online Course. to help you share the stories that only you tell when the time is right for you and at your own pace.
As a mother and a grandmother, I want to encourage you to be the one who influences the faith and future of your loved ones. Don’t leave it to the culture. Don’t leave it to YouTube. Don’t leave it to celebrities. You do it. It’s part of your purpose. You’ll rest easier when you’ve entrusted your stories to the next generation.
Rhonda Sciortino was raised by atheists. She read the Bible from cover to cover as a child (because it was part of a set of encyclopedias). At 14, she went to Lutheran catechism, but when she found out that Jesus was Jewish, she went to a temple and found a rabbi to help her study Judaism. She returned to the Lutheran church and was baptized and confirmed at 15. She accepted Christ as her savior at an altar call in a Baptist church. She studied Catholicism before marrying a "cradle Catholic," and she's comfortable worshipping God in any place that declares that the one true God sent His only son Jesus to pay for our sins and pave the way for us to join Him in Heaven. Rhonda doesn't engage in denominational disputes because of the words of Jesus in John 17:22-23, "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
Living outside of the purpose for which you were born and perfectly matched leaves you with a sense of dissatisfaction. It can lead to depression and despair. The good news is that when you live your purpose, you love your life.
Your purpose involves healthy relationships with good people, a sense of peace that replaces chaos and dysfunction, joy that is so much better than superficial happiness, financial provision for whatever you were born to do, and an overall sense of wellness and contentedness that you can't get any other way.
YOU can change the world by living your purpose! Listen to the Find Your Purpose Now podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
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