Vacation Historical Markers

This past week our family took a vacation. It was packed with activities, sights, friends and unforgettable experiences. It was Caleb’s first ride on a plane, and Hopes first that she could remember. We visited the Gateway Arch, the Mississippi River, (thanks to “Ranger Boring” we wont soon forget that,) a couple of Museums, the St. Louis Zoo, Six Flags, rode in a Limo and spent our share of time in the hotel pool. We shared warm days, good food, and a lot of laughs.

We also visited Kirksville, the town where I spent my teen years and it was, for me, a real joy. Caleb and I walked on the field where I played high school football and I told him some stories of games and plays that stand out in my mind. We looked at the houses where my family lived and talked of the people who lived around us. We looked at farmland and talked about soybeans, hay and corn. It was glorious!

When we were at worship on Sunday morning, I showed Caleb where I stood and proclaimed God’s word for the first time. I was called into the service of God during those Kirksville years, when I was 15. Though we were visiting with friends, when no one was looking, I visited that place inside me that remembers the past and wonders about the future.

It’s important that our kids know that we have a heritage of faith. We should share with them our spiritual heritage. The Lord told his people, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' “…These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:5-7).

Our vacation was fun for our family, but it also served to remind me and to show my family where I came from spiritually. Have you shared your spiritual roots? Have you introduced them to people who taught you and built your faith? Have they seen you honor those people? Have they seen that you value your own spiritual heritage? Before they’re too old, show your kids the markers about those people and times that gave you your spiritual life. It is a blessing from God.

telemicus out