Romans 2:17-29 NKJV

[17] Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, [18] and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, [19] and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, [20] an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. [21] You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? [22] You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? [23] You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? [24] For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written. [25] For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. [26] Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? [27] And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? [28] For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; [29] but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

I was raised by a dad who sent me to church with my mom. He didn't take me. He didn't lead me. He wasn't the godly example I "should" have had growing up. My background in church fell on the shoulders of the women in my family.

I could use that as an excuse not to show up for my son. I could allow a continuation of that legacy and be justified in my own mind. What would that prove? How would that bless the legacy I leave behind?

The Jews used their heritage as an excuse to judge the Gentiles. According to the law, they were more qualified. They met the bare-minimum criteria for holiness. They missed the mark because of trusting tradition over having a real relationship with the Lord.

I am not who I am because of something I have done. I haven't earned a thing towards my salvation. I can't look back and say my eternity rests on the legacy of my dad. It shouldn't. My salvation comes from the love of Jesus and the grace of God. My sanctification comes through my daily relationship with the Holy Spirit.