"Legacy"

You teach ‘em how to ride a horse,

To catch and feed and trim, of course,

And how to check and doctor cattle,

And other work while in the saddle,

To gather, rope, castrate and brand,

And all it takes to make a hand.

   It’s called a cowboy legacy,

   But don’t know if it takes, you see…

They might go off and live in town,

Leave behind all that  you’ve found,

To be your favorite way to live,

And all of that you tried to give,

Wander from the cowboy way,

And truth is you can’t make ‘em stay.

   It’s called a cowboy legacy,

   But don’t know if it takes, you see.

But bottom line, and this is true,

The most important thing to do,

Is train them with God’s word and way,

So in the end they’ll be okay,

His promise they grow up to be,

A child of God eternally.

   It’s called a Christian legacy,

   And God says it will take, you see.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6, NAS)

Training in godliness is the primary responsibility of parents, and especially fathers. When we take seriously the spiritual mentorship of our children, we realize this means much more than just having them in church. It means we give them the counsel they need to apply God’s word to their lives. We don’t leave it to the pastor or youth pastor or anyone else. We cannot have a relationship with God on their behalf, but we can give them a head start in knowing Jesus and receiving His salvation. We can claim the promise that in their later years they will not depart from what they have been taught. Amen.

Lord, help us to teach the children well, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mary Ross Buchholz, used by permission. Thanks, Mary, and God bless you.