I am a young man. Well, relatively young… My first (and only) child just turned five years old, and through him I have really discovered the joy of being a parent. I glory in watching him learn and figure things out on his own. Just the other day I had the opportunity to watch him explore his creative side, and it excited me to see the “creations” that he was starting to come up with. So far in my life, there has really been no greater joy than seeing life through the eyes of a growing child.

One day he is going to grow up and have his own kids. I can already start to imagine what it would be like to watch him experience the same things that I am experiencing now. I hope and pray that everything that I’ve taught (and will teach) him results in a fruitful life, and then lessons that he can turn around and sow into his children. Watching the passing of this knowledge from generation to generation makes me think of one word that describes this impact… legacy.

Through my son, and eventually to my grandchildren, I have to opportunity to pass on a legacy. Parts of me, and what God is doing in my life, get to live on long after I am gone. This makes me realize that the magnitude of what I do today is much bigger than I am. Literally everything that I sow into my child could eventually manifest itself in my grandchildren and beyond.

This idea also makes me think of how it applies in a spiritual sense. When I help lead someone to the Lord, they essentially become my “spiritual child”. Then as they eventually lead others to the Lord, I start to see my spiritual family grow.

Considering the impact of legacy in our natural families, I also need to evaluate what I do as a spiritual grandparent. Am I sowing into my “children” and “grandchildren”? What wisdom do they need me to impart to them in order to ensure that my spiritual legacy lives on.

I have a dear friend that I had the pleasure of leading to the Lord, and the greatest times of growth for him happened when we would regularly sit and talk about the Bible and how it applies to our lives. Those were great times of growth for him, as he was able to start making sense of his newly found faith. Just as I do with my son, I had the pleasure of watching this man explore and discover his spiritual side. It brought me great joy to see how he began to process this information, and creatively apply it to his own life.

Now I see him leading other people to the Lord, and touching other people’s lives. In him I see a little bit of me when he is finding his own “spiritual sons”. I see the impact of my legacy manifesting in his life. Realizing that my actions go much further than I can reach on my own makes me realize again just how important my job as a “spiritual grandfather” is.

When I consider the Great Commission that tells us to “go, make disciples,” I realize that this means that I am to sow into other people’s lives in order to create a legacy. Jesus did it with the disciples, and then He told them to turn around and create some “spiritual grandchildren” for Him. We to have a responsibility to not only become spiritual parents, but also to extend our reach and legacy as grandparents.

So, I challenge you to go… be fruitful and multiply!

Note: Written for weekly writing contest [Grandparent(s)] at http://www.faithwriters.com/.