A NEW BEGINNING
THE LEGACY OF A GODLY LIFE
Exclusive: Greg Laurie explains meaning of Proverbs verse about parenting
Father’s Day is a difficult day for me because I think of my son Christopher, who was called home to heaven almost seven years ago. As an artist, he would create the most amazing, beautiful, custom-made Father’s Day cards for me. I always looked forward to them, and I saved every one. I have them on a shelf, along with the cards my son Jonathan has given me and every drawing my grandkids have done for me.
Christopher was a runner in high school, just as I was. However, I was a sprinter, while Christopher was a long-distance runner. We would have races, and even as we both got older, I could still beat him in a short race. I always took pride in that.
But then one day we were on a beach, and I said, “Do you want to race? See that mark right there? Let’s run to the mark. Are you ready?”
I took off, and he was right next to me the entire time. I tried to get that little burst of energy, but he passed me and crossed the finish line before I did. I was both crestfallen and proud of him at the same time.
My son who crossed the finish line ahead of me that day on the beach also crossed the finish line ahead of me in the race of life. He is in heaven, and in effect, he has handed the baton to me. I am carrying on, and I will pass it on to his daughters, to my son Jonathan and his children, and, if God is gracious, to my great-grandchildren.
I always have looked for teachable moments with my kids – and now with my grandkids. I always look for opportunities to share truth with them. I tell them Bible stories, trying to do it in a way that engages them. What I want them to say is, “Tell us another one, Papa.” I am trying to bring the Word of God to them in a way they will understand. I am always looking for those opportunities.
That is a great thing to do in life with your kids. Instead of telling them not to watch TV, why not sit down and watch their favorite program with them? They probably won’t like it a whole lot, but you can offer some perspective – and hopefully a biblical worldview. They might even begin to see it differently than they had before.
The Old Testament book of Proverbs says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (22:6 NKJV). The phrase “train up” is an interesting one. Literally translated, it speaks of the actions of a midwife who, after delivering a child, would dip her finger into crushed dates and place it into the child’s mouth. This resulted in the baby thirsting for milk. So when Proverbs says to “train up a child,” a simple translation would be “create a thirst for God in your child’s life.” That means living in such a way that your child will want what you have.
Have you ever noticed that when you go out with someone for a meal, their food always looks good? Sometimes I will go out with people to get a bite to eat, and it is later than I want to eat. As I’m sitting there with them, they invite me to have some of their food. So I might take a French fry. Then I’ll take another, and then maybe another. Then I’ll decide to order my own fries. Their food looked and tasted good enough for me to order my own.
Could that not be said of our faith? When we are walking with God and have a great relationship with Jesus Christ, it should create a desire in our children to know God. When they see Mom praying, when they see Dad being a spiritual leader, they should say, “I want to be like that when I grow up.” Train up your children. Create a thirst for God in them.
In the original language, “train up” in Proverbs 22:6 also speaks of breaking and bringing a horse into submission. It is an idea of trying to control something that is out of control and put parameters in place.
So to put it all together, “train up” carries the idea of creating a thirst for God in a child and setting up parameters, external boundaries for his or her protection.
Even children who have been raised in a godly home will rebel. That is not always a bad thing because it means they are starting to think for themselves. We want our children to become independent. We want them to get out on their own, get married and have their own families. They will need to stand on their own two feet, and we need to keep loving them. They can escape our presence, but they can never escape our prayers.
How important it is to pass on a godly legacy – not just dropping off our children at church but taking them with us, leading and training them and raising them up. We do this because one day in this race of life, we will hand the baton to our sons and daughters. Then they will hand it on to the next generation.
One day we will say, “I’m done. Here it is. You carry it on.” May we be able to say with the apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7–8).
We are here to know God and to walk with God. That’s what it’s all about. It’s the legacy of a godly life.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/06/the-legacy-of-a-godly-life/#TLi2E8mTmcDvbZVy.99
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