a new generation

The other day my friend and I were chatting on the phone. We were talking about how as moms, sometimes we feel like we are just getting it all wrong and not doing anything right. Sometimes it is so hard to look ahead and see that all our time and effort of teaching and guiding our kids is ever really going to pay off. I know that is all not true. I know that if we are seeking God's direction our kids are going to turn out to Love God and obey his commands, but sometimes it just doesn't feel like we are getting anywhere. Yes, we all make mistakes, and half the time I do feel like I must being doing it ALL wrong, but then the Lord gave me this thought:

I actually did not grow up in a Christian home. I never stepped foot in a church, not with my parents anyway. No one tough me about the Bible, no one in my house prayed with me or for me that I know of. I can't actually think of one person in my family, even extended family that was even a Christian or went to church. How I came out a white sheep in this black herd, I really do not know. It still amazes me and definitely is a true example of God's Amazing Grace. Still to this day I am the only Christian in my family. I pray often for all of them all the while pondering with why God chose me. I still don't know the answer to that, but I am for sure thankful!
Anyway, I was reading Psalm 27 this morning and came across this verse.....10: When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. I would hate for my mom and dad ever hear me say that they have forsaken me, because I love them both very much. But, the truth is, in the area of bringing me up in the ways and knowledge of the Lord they really did forsake me. So, knowing where I came from and comparing it to where I am now, I am living proof that God will fill in where we lack. It gives me hope to know that even in the areas that I feel like I am not doing well enough, I will keep trying harder, but if I came from where I did with as little as I had for direction, I have great hope that with all that I am trying my best to teach my children, they will turn out even better than I did, and hopefully from this point on we will continue on for generations to teach and carry on the faith. I feel like I am the beginning of a new generation. I did not have the examples and memories of what a Godly mother does That makes it extra hard for me, because it doesn't just come naturally for me to talk about the Lord or teach my children about Him all day long. One thing I do know that I am doing right, is following God's leading, and praying for them constantly. Hopefully I will leave my children with much more than I had. I pray that they will carry it on for generations to come.