My good friend from Taiwan has been here in Taipei for her sick mom. I happened to have a full schedule in October, but after talking to her on the phone, I decided to take a couple of days off to go and just be with her during this difficult time. Her mom had been so kind to me while I was a teenager. I remember her being generous and welcoming, and cooked amazing food for us. Her house always smelled like good food. In my memory, she was loud, confident, always looking her best and definitely a straight shooter, always speaking her mind. I was glad I made the trip because she unfortunately didn't recover. Oh, she will be missed.....
Yancheng church has lots of older people. So one of the ministries I am involved with is singing songs of comfort with a choir during memorial services. I saw a lot of funerals and memorial services in my almost 3 years here. I lost count how many. Some were sadly small, just a handful of relatives came. Our choir had more people than the family and friends attending it. I wonder why.... maybe it's bad luck? After all people are superstitious here. Or perhaps it's such a beautiful Saturday, finally they didn't have to go to work, why waste it on attending a memorial service to honor someone who is gone. Perhaps, that person has long been forgotten, living alone with the foreign caretaker, maybe everyone was just waiting for the inevitable. I even imagined my own funeral if I were to die here in Taiwan, probably not that different from those. No matter how busy, I make it a priority to attend the memorial services, because I believe it's more important to go to a house of mourning than a house of feast. Every time I went, I came back appreciating my life more and learning to "number my days".
But then, out of the countless funeral services, there were a couple that left a deep impression on me, though I don't know the deceased in person, I wish I had. For those two services, the church was so packed and so full of beautiful flowers arrangements, you probably thought a king died that day. Family and friends from all over the world came to attend and say their last goodbyes. Letters, pictures, speeches, tears, and written memoir were presented. This last one (passed away on Sept 9, 2026) was a pastor who faithfully walked with the Lord and lived 96 years. His life was so godly and fruitful that you can see from all those that came in contact with him, how much he was loved and missed. Even until his last months on this earth, his children saw it as a great privilege to go and have a meal with him, maybe having to feed him or cut his hair. They were so grateful they got to do that for him. He lived simply following God's call, loving his family and shepherding God's people. What a legacy he left! Jesus was clearly shone through his life to everyone that came in contact with him. Even his great grand kids can tell that he was a role model and greatly respected by the community. He made the gospel attractive to unbelievers. The bulletin for the memorial service was 50 pages long! But I took time to read all the stories, recollections of what his family and friends wrote, his many pictures of faithful service to the Lord. It really inspired me what one godly life can do for those around him. So amazing the influence of one godly life can have on generations to come! It's true when they say more is caught than taught. when his family saw how he lived out Christ-likeness in his daily life, they naturally wanted to imitate him, even after he is no longer around, his influence continues in the lives of others.
I have heard about this most fascinating study: The Famous "Two Lineages" Case Study
The generational impact of a godly life is famously illustrated by an extensively cited sociological study from 1877 by Richard Dugdale.
He tracked and contrasted the real-world descendants of two contemporary men over roughly 150 years:
Max Jukes (An ungodly, lawless man)
• 310 chronic beggars
• 400 physically broken by vice
• 190 prostitutes
• 150 convicted criminals
• 7 convicted murderers
Jonathan Edwards (A devout, godly theologian)
• 100 lawyers & 30 judges
• 65 college professors & 13 university presidents
• 100 Christian pastors and missionaries
• 60 prominent authors
• 3 U.S. Senators and 1 U.S. Vice President
While God holds every individual personally accountable for their own final choices (Ezekiel 18:20), your daily environment and lifestyle dramatically tilt the scales, making it either much easier or much harder for the next generation to thrive.
A life rooted in godliness, moral integrity, and spiritual discipline creates a ripple effect that shapes future generations. They are the spiritual anchor for descendants. providing them with a moral compass when navigating ethical dilemmas or cultural pressure.
Ps 112 notes that the descendants of the righteous will be blessed and powerful in the land.
Pv 20:7 "The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him"
In Exodus it says that God shows steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who loves God and keep His commandments.
These great examples of godly man and woman, modern day heroes of faith, inspire me to live each day as unto the Lord. I want to be faithful to the family and friends and ministry that God has given me. Pray for them consistently. Repair broken relationships. Speak life into them when I get the chance to. Thank you, Lord, for the cloud of witnesses around me that encourage me to continue on the journey faith. They live forever within our hearts though they are no longer with us physically.
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