What Will Your Next-Generation Legacy Be?
What will your next-generation legacy be?
“What a dad pursues with fervor, his kids will pursue in
moderation. What a dad pursues in moderation, his
children will ignore.
….and you won’t know how you did ‘til you see what your grandchildren do!”
When I first heard a speaker say this, I bristled. Can’t be true. Not always.
With example after example, the speaker used Biblical characters to prove his point.
Abraham. Sold out. Obedient. Invented the word ‘faith’. Isaac his son? definitely a Godly man, but there was this thing with going against God’s instructions and heading down to Egypt (Gen. 26). And then there was that time he passed off his wife as his sister, a sin his father modeled for him years before.
And then there’s David, who pursued God with fervor, “a man after God’s own heart.” His son Solomon followed in his father’s footsteps…for a while. But he moderated…became more open minded. 1 Kings 11:4 says Solomon’s “wives turned his heart after other gods”. He ended up lost AND depressed…at least that’s how I read the hopeless fatalism of Ecclesiastes.
We have no control over our children when they’re grown. But we do have this precious period while they’re growing up under our influence. They’re sponges. They’re soaking up everything we say and watching everything we do. Whatever we do, we’re giving them unwritten “permission” to do the same thing later on. And it won’t be when we think they’re ready. It’ll be when they think they’re ready.
So does the speaker’s theory hold up when you check out the ‘children’s children’?
Isaac’s kids, Jacob and Esau were Godly. But what about the deception Jacob used to gain the birthright? And Esau’s impulsiveness to swap it for a bowl of stew?
Solomon’s son Rehoboam allowed idol worship. He was so arrogant regarding the ridiculous taxes his dad had imposed that a rebellion broke out and the kingdom of Israel was split in two. He didn’t turn out too well.
The point is that we dads must pursue God with fervor, not mediocrity. Our kids are subconsciously deciding how important their faith will be to them by watching how important our faith is to us.
Don’t take any chances.
Go “all in”. Make the decision to be a public, sold out, no-holes-barred, praying, tithing, loving, grace-filled disciple and follower of Jesus.
You won’t guarantee anything for your kids. But you will reduce your ‘coefficient of regret’. You won’t look back and think “If only I had … pick one: (been more passionate) (been more open)(prayed more)(taught them what I believe)(set my doubts aside)(shared more of my heart with them).”
You can know, at least from this day forward, that you were fervent in your pursuit of God. Let no one call you moderate ever again.
And maybe your grandchildren will have a chance!
Question: Would your kids describe you as “fervent” in your love for Jesus? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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Responses (6)
Regi,
You’re doing good work on these postings, and it is appreciated! Don’t I wish that I could answer more positive in every area of my 2 sons’ lives?! As I have watched them grow into their late 20’s, they have gone from frat boys to hard working young men — yet, I fear that the hard working could easily “leak over” into a bit of workaholism….and I know where that came from….. They listen to my present day warnings of such — but the “patterning” seems to be overwhelming the present day Biblical logic….
BTW – who is that old geeser in the snapshot above?
That “old geeser” sleeps with my wife. Can you believe her standards are that low? I know how you’re feeling as you look at your boys. I have a son and a daughter who are both working like fire ants. Since unsolicited advice, given to an adult child, is always received as criticism, we have to resort to prayer…consistent, fervent intercession. We have to pray that the collateral damage from their “education”, when it comes, won’t be too bad. And we have to be connected so closely to their hearts that maybe they’ll seek us out for counsel before they hit the walls that we hit.
Ouch. Although I have successfully raised two daughters who are serving the Lord and involved in church, I do feel that there are areas in my life which could display more passion for God. I have some boys growing up too, and I certainly want to lead them the best that I can and see them serving God passionately after they leave the home. I have often preached a similar message to my congregation (regarding the way our children model us), but you have made it much more succinct and insightful. Thank you.
Thanks for your comment Kevin. Just remember Shamgar in Judges 3:31.31 “After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.” Start from where you are, do all you can, use what you’ve got, and trust God with the outcome. Sounds like they have a great dad. And it sounds like God has His hand on their lives.
One of the biggest blessings for my wife, Anne, and I is that I children are just as exited about seeking the Lord as we are!I have to give alot of credit to the Lord working through Anne especially at night putting them to bed and during breakfast in the morning. I was running hard working early until late and had to get to bed. But Saturday mornings we would go out to breakfast together as a family and I would kick off some spiritual discussion by asking questions. We did everything together on weekends. The other thing we tried to do was to affirm our children by “proclaiming the truth about them to them in advance” as we saw the Lord at work in thier lives. I believe this was the way they caught the vision of the excitng life of following Jesus. Finally,God brought key people into their lives outside our family during the late teen years. I know that it does not always work out this way, but I beleive it is possible! Now, we are praying for the Lord’s favor on our 8 grandchildren! Deut 5:10;3rd John 1:4
Thanks for this David….some good ideas for guys to consider…..