Last night, Leanne and I were working on a talk that we will be giving at a MOPS meeting later this month at our church.  We’ve been asked to talk about discipline.  What a fun subject!

Actually, it’s not the easiest subject to talk about.  Everyone has different opinions and backgrounds when it comes to discipline.  Some of us grew up with parents who hardly disciplined us at all, and some of us faced the other extreme of discipline that may have bordered on abuse.  At any rate, it is an important topic, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to share some of the things that we’ve learned (and are learning) in our parenting journey.

As we were preparing for our talk, we were watching a couple of clips from the first season of Supernanny.  (Many of you may know that Leanne and I wrote a parenting curriculum several years ago based on this series which you can see by clicking here.)  At the end of the clip, the mother in the episode shares some thoughts that got me thinking.  She said something like this, “The changes that we are making today will have an impact on these three little boys, and they will forever change the world for their kids as well.  We are making a change that will impact generations.”

That’s a pretty powerful statement.  Something I do today could impact my kids, my grandchildren, and even my great-grandchildren.

I’ve heard this before.  Dave Ramsey always tells families who have made a decision to become debt free that they are “changing their family tree forever.”

Wouldn’t it be great to know that you were having that kind of impact?

Whether it’s taking positive steps in our finances or making changes in our parenting approach, we can clearly change the world when we decide to live with intention.

I think it’s easy to get hung up on our past failures.  We’ve all messed up!  It’s also easy to become overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy.  We need to shift our thinking.  Today is a brand new day.  We can start making changes starting today.  The past is the past.

Here’s the question.  What change can you make today that will have an impact on future generations?  What is holding you back from making that change?