Impacting the Future

"Bind me to your side". I have the song lyrics stuck in my head! Maybe I need it today. lol

Last night, Nigel McNeill (a church family guest speaker) spoke to our church about Leah's (wife of Jacob in the bible) impact on the generations to follow after her. Because of her faitfulness, her offspring and so on ended up being rulers and kings. I want to have that impact on people I touch. I want to know that they did great things for God's kingdom, just because I was faithful in God.

You see, Jacob fell in love with Rachel at the beginning and wanted to marry her but her father said that he has to go to prison for 7 years before he can have Rachel. So he did. After 7 years, he asks to marry Rachel and the father deceived him and had him marry Leah (Rachel's older sister) instead. When he figured out that it was Leah, he asked the father why he did that. The father said because Leah was the older sister. He also told Jacob that he can still have Rachel, but he'll have to work for him for another 7 years. So he did. In the meantime, Leah had several children with Jacob. Once Jacob wed Rachel, they then realized that Rachel was not fertile. She couldn't bear children. After all that work and fighting Jacob did for Rachel, to realize that she's infertile. Nigel was explaining to us that the bible explains Leah as doey eyed. He said he looked up doey eyed and it means weak on the eyes. So what we're gathering is...Leah wasn't very pretty, not like Rachel. Can you imagine marrying a man and giving him what he wants, but him not wanting you back?! To feel unimportant and not wanted is such a lonely feeling. Well, I guess something happened and Leah finally got her man. He finally ended falling in love with her. Because of her faithfulness, her children lived to be kings or her children's children were kings. Somewhere down her bloodline, they ruled. How awesome is that?!

I know several people who feel unwanted by men. And I'm here to tell you...you're wanted, BY GOD. And he's a man! I promise you, the more you seek THAT man (God), the less you'll feel lonely. And I also promise you, the more faithful you stay, the more you'll see it run down your bloodline into your children, children's children, their children, their grandchildren and so on.

As I was driving into work this morning, I was listening to KSBJ. They were interviewing Israel Houghton. For those of you who don't know him, he's a very annointed christian artist who has originated from Lakewood Church. He was telling the story of how his mom was saved. Basically she was a young single woman who was 8 months pregnant, nothing going for her and battling drugs. She was walking down the street one day, remind you, 8 months pregnant and this woman starts waving her hands yelling out to her, "Hey, I want to share something with you". Long story short, that lady witnessed to Israel's mom. If that lady hadn't touched Ms. Houghton, where would Israel be today? SERIOUSLY! Think about it. He'd probably be another "statistic". Just that one witness has touched thousands, millions of people. Israel witnesses to many all around the world today. Recently him and his mom were able to find that lady and it was one happy reunion. It was nice to hear such a sweet story. What a great testimony. He asked that lady, did you know you were going to impact millions? She said, I had no clue. lol God is so good! And so are his faithful servants.

Now I have to share my own personal testimony with you because it ties into all of those stories. My dad's parents are christian. They were pentecostal for so many years. Now are non-denominational, but still a little pentecostal in them :) Anyways, my mom didn't really grow up going to church. I'm sure she heard about God before and I'm sure my mom's parents took her to church every once in a while, but it wasn't like my dad's parents did. My dad's parents were and still are very faithful servants of God. When my mom and dad met, they weren't at the right place of their life but they decided to have me anyways :) Well, because of being young and immature, things didn't work out with them and my dad decided to go his seperate way. I pretty much was raised without my dad in my life. But I will never say that I didn't have family growing up because ALL of my grandparents and aunts and uncles definitely stepped in and loved me so well. Growing up, I've seen other families that are single parent families and if the dad is no where around, neither is his family. And that's so sad. That hurts me because I didn't have to experience that. I still got the rest of my family. Anyways, when I was probably in about 2nd grade or so, my mom decided to take me to church. We started going to a non-denomination church in Pasadena. She was very faithful. Started reading her bible, going to bible studies, church every Sunday, tithed faithfully, prayed, etc. After a few years at that church, we joined First United Methodist and I then was raised there until my college years, where I decided to go my own way...back to my roots, non-denominational. Well, I say my roots are Methodist because that's where I was "raised" but for now, I call the non-denominational church my roots. Once out on my own, I wasn't perfect and I definitely acted like a young immature adult would and had fun in life. Not the fun I should have been having though! lol However, I never dabbled in drugs, got pregnant when I didn't need to, didn't go to jail, get in trouble with the law, etc. I didn't join a gang or murder anyone. I DIDN'T BECOME A STATISTIC. You want to know why?! Because it all started with my grandparents (dad's parents) who were faithful christians. They didn't give up on me or my mom. Then my mom became a faithful servant to God and never gave up on me. Now I'm married to a man of God who loves playing christian worship music and am involved with my church when I can. My heart is bigger than what it physically shows because I have a passion for people that I've never had before. And I KNOW THAT'S GOD. I could have been another "statistic" because I had a fatherless home, but I wasn't because of my faithful family. Now I pray for my future family and how they impact the world. I fully believe that what I'm doing now, will only carry on into my future.

Thank you Lord for the stories that keep living on today. We need those to teach us and remind us how we're supposed to be carrying out your will. Amen!

*Nigel McNeill http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Flower-Mound-TX/Revival-Fire-Ministries-Nigel-and-Cathy-McNeill/110909328964677?ref=ts

*Israel Houghton http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/IsraelHoughton?ref=ts