THE INCREASE: Family Motto - Eddie Taubensee

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” —Micah 6:8 (NASB)

Many years ago my wife and I decided to come up with a family motto to represent in a few words what our family is all about. We had a family crest made and we put our motto on a signet ring (we’ve had two made for our older sons and we have one more to make for our youngest). It took some time and prayer, but we found three words which best represent what our family is about:

Responsibility—with humility, think of others first.
Wisdom—make not just the right choices, but Godly ones.
Honor—act in ways that please God, parents, coaches, etc.…

Whenever we try to get our boys, or ourselves, back on track with the right choices to make, we always come back to these three words.

In the above verse, the prophet Micah had to confront the nation of Israel (“O man”) because their lives didn’t match up to what they said they believed. There was a serious problem with how they were acting. Their worship towards God was more of a ritualistic one instead of a relationship.

In a few words, Micah presents God’s motto for them:

To Do Justice—do what is right and good in relationship to others.

To Love Kindness—look out for the needs of others with a disposition of mercy, grace, and compassion.

To Walk Humbly with God—develop and maintain a sincere relationship with God marked by reverence, love, obedience, and trust.

Does your life match up to what you say you believe?

This motto may only take a minute to remember, but it will take our whole lives to live out. Come up with a motto that represents your life and then live it out!

Eddie Taubensee

Eddie Taubensee is currently the hitting coach for the Augusta GreenJackets (Class A Minor League Affiliate of the San Francisco Giants) and also serves as the Director of Baseball Ministry for The Increase. Eddie played 11 seasons as a catcher in the Major Leagues with the Reds, Indians and Astros. 

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