(This post was written by Michael Wallace, High School Pastor)

One thing that I love about the holidays is the chance to spend time with family.  When Holly and I got married, we moved from North Carolina, where all of our family was, to Texas, where we knew absolutely no one.  So, every year we look forward to the meals and celebrations that bring us all together.

This Thanksgiving, as we gathered with my grandparents, Memaw and Poppa, and a total of 17 extended family members for lunch, we had an unusual opportunity to peek into the past.  Poppa surprised us by turning on a DVD compiled of 8mm video footage from the 1960’s of my family.  It was very surreal to see a two-year-old version of my dad, while my two-year-old son sat on my lap.  As we watched the grainy home movie and marveled at the fashions and youth of my grandparents, my mind wandered to Moses in Deuteronomy 6:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children.” – Deuteronomy 6:4-7

When my grandfather was in the Navy fifty years ago, he had dreams of his family being involved in ministry and making a difference in the lives of families.  In the half-century that has passed, Memaw and Poppa have had the joy of watching their kids lead in the local church, their grandkids lead in the local church, and now they see how much their great-grandkids love going to church.  It is a legacy that is rooted in loving God with everything and putting Him first.  I am so grateful to have a Wallace legacy, and as Holly and I parent the next generation of Wallaces I pray that I will continue to have that same impact on them.

What legacy have you been given?  What legacy are you leaving with your children?