10 Christians Everyone Should Know Jane Austen Part 2 by Rev. Christie Bature: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Spiritual Vision for Your Family

Reading about Jane Austen's father, "In his own mind, Judge Austen's most important contribution to his children's education was to direct them to the highest end of man." What are you transmitting to your children as the most important thing for their life?

A man with a good job, education and a house he built himself was asked what his vision was for his family. His answer stopped at good schools and good jobs. Nobody is truly healthy until they are also spiritually healthy. Have your children ever seen you pray? Have you ever led them into the presence of God? What is the spiritual inheritance you are leaving your children?

Find Your Family's Common Ground

The Austens were "a lively spirited family unified by common interests, tastes, and enthusiasms." Look for humor, food, sport, whatever is common in your own family and rally everyone around it. If your family feels divided, find something common and gather them there.

Break Bad Patterns, Start Good Ones

Joseph came into a family where three generations of fathers before him had lost a son, Abraham lost his son, Jacob lost his. Joseph changed the pattern, and no other son was lost in that family after him. It is not only bad things you can pass down, there are generational patterns that are good, and you can pass them down too. If you come into a system that is not good, change it and start a new one.

Look for Strength, Not Just Weakness

Jane Austen's second son George suffered a debilitating disease and was likely deaf and mute, and Jane learned sign language to communicate with him. Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me, so if you ignore a special needs family member, you are ignoring Jesus.

The third son Edward lacked his brother's intellectual sparkle but was a natural leader who distinguished himself commanding volunteers when Napoleon threatened England. Never compare your children to one another. Focus on each child's strength rather than their weakness.

A Legacy That Continues

Two of Jane's older brothers served in the Navy with distinction. One, Francis, was known as "the officer who knelt in church" for his upright moral and religious principles, and three generations later his descendants are still excelling, in banking, medicine and ministry, because a father and mother committed their lives to God. It takes work, intentionality and discipline to raise a family on the principles of God, but it will continue down the line.

Making Peace with Siblings

Jane was closest to her only sister, Cassandra. Make peace with your own siblings, be the bigger, forgiving one. If a relationship cannot be fully restored, at minimum do not harbor resentment or unforgiveness, even a simple text of blessing is enough so that nothing stands between you and Christ.

A House of Charity

The Austen home was a Christian home, with prayer led each morning and church attended every week. Pray for your children to share your own faith. Take them to church while they are under your roof, even if they resist it.

Charity did not come naturally to Jane, she had a childish, selfish streak, but she prayed for a gentler heart and later wrote Emma, a novel about charity. The day you allow God to show you yourself, and accept it, you are well on your way to becoming a saint of God. Anger can be controlled by degrees, from an outburst, to a blank face that shows nothing, to a heart genuinely untouched.

Charity has limits. Helping someone who is striving is charity; enabling someone who refuses to work is not. "He that does not work should not eat."

Following a Godly Example

Jane's two favorite women were charitable, so she patterned herself after them, even though generosity was not naturally in her. You can change your nature if you notice it is not good, by finding someone better than you in that area and following their example. A mentor does not have to be someone you speak to daily, you can watch and follow from a distance.