Faith Lived Out

I came across the most amazing article a while back on a blog that quickly became one of my favorites, A Holy Experience.  Ann shares the story of finding Scripture memory books that belonged to her grandmother - dog-eared, marked up books, full of Scriptures with dates and notes on when she had learned them.  She shared the wonder she felt when she realized the spiritual impact of those books.  That post made me start thinking about the legacy of faith I'll leave behind one day.

One of my goals for this year - for every year, really - is to be closer to God, to spend more time with Him.  When I asked for His help a few weeks ago, He poured it out, bringing me some amazing resources to inspire me and challenge me, starting with Ann's blog.  I started quickly finding blogs, books, and articles that covered exactly the areas I needed help in.  In short order, I created my own committment book (I'm memorizing Ephesians this year) and signed up for the Hello Mornings Challenge at Inspired to Action.  I finally finished my prayer journal...the one I'd planned to finish a couple of years ago...and actually started using it daily. 

It's been challenging, but growth never comes without a challenge, and God is definitely growing me.  I'm continually finding new ideas and new resources.  Recently I bought the ebook Warrior Prayers - from the first time I opened it, I knew it would become a much-used resource as I pray for my boys.  I had it bound and covered at Office Depot, and now it holds a spot in my Bible study notebook as something to use daily.

I know it's worth it the time and effort.  I want my life to make a difference.  I want to make an impact during my time on earth.  I want to leave a legacy for my kids.  When my life is over, I want to leave my children a worn, marked up Bible; dog-eared books of Scriptures memorized; and a marked up prayer journal that is worn from constant.  I want to leave my children a legacy of faith lived out.   That is my heart's cry.