Summer is a time for splashing around in some water. And I recently read about a mama duck doing just that on a lake in Minnesota. It seems that she and her family were making quite a racket as then paddled around the lake.

PC: Brent Cizek

She is a Merganser and they are large, long bodied ducks that have pointed wings. It is not unusual for them to have a small flock of maybe ten ducklings. But this mama hen had apparently raided a few nests and had 76 little ducklings lined up behind her. That’s a lot of quacking!

Our families are not usually that large, but they are precious. The Bible says that children are our heritage from the Lord. They extend us. They carry our name into the future. They elongate our influence. And prayerfully that influence is a Godly one.

In Jeremiah 35, the Rekabite family is mentioned. They were a unique group of Jews who followed their forefather Jehonadab and chose to never drink wine, build houses or plant vineyards. They were a nomadic people who were different and that difference set them apart as a witness for God.

After Jeremiah came in contact with this group, the Lord used him to affirm the family for their obedience. “Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty the God of Israel says, ‘Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendent to serve me.’ ” (Jer. 35:19)

What a heritage. What an amazing lineage. God was promising that there would never be a time when a member of that family wasn’t visibly serving Yahweh.

Isn’t that the cry of every parent’s heart? Don’t we all long to see our children rise up and serve God with reckless abandonment? Don’t we echo the words of John when he declares, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 4)

Of course we do. So if you still have little ones in your house, let’s make sure this week that we are intentionally making disciples. Summer is a wonderful time to read God’s word as a family. Discuss it. Memorize it. Apply it to everyday circumstances.

And let’s pray diligently for our sons and daughters, even if they are “out of the nest.” Grandparents, make it your ministry to pray diligently for each of your grandkids.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have an endless line of descendants in your family tree that all serve the Lord with joy?