Thanks to the way social media operates, I was recently
privy to a conversation between two millennials that had nothing directly to do
with me. But as I read their words that
conveyed deep angst with the organized American church and how it had played
out practically in their lives, I was saddened once again by the hold that the
enemy has on our culture and reminded of the incredible responsibility that
parents and grandparents have in this time in history.
It has never been easy or simple to pass Biblical values on
to the next generation. All you have to
do is read the New Testament letters to various churches in order to discover
that, as Jesus told his followers, the “narrow path” of following God isn’t
chosen by most people (Matthew 7:13-14). Sin is alluring, and fitting in with everyone
else is appealing. Getting our children
to understand and “buy in” to the concept of standing alone and being different
is difficult at best.
When you add to our human nature the fact that Satan
disguises himself as an angel of light (2
Corinthians 11:14) and prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour
(1 Peter 5:8), the task of training
our children to recognize his work and to choose to run away from evil seems
almost impossible. In the case of my two
millennials, their backgrounds were solid, truth-conveying families; and their
parents were well-meaning God-followers.
But, somewhere along the line, these young ladies became convinced that
their parents’ intentions and motivations were wrong; and they bought into the
cultural rhetoric that made their lives easier.
There are no guarantees when raising children. Besides the work of the enemy against
Christian parents, all of us are imperfect human beings. No matter how diligent we are, we fall short
of God’s standard somewhere along the line. But that doesn’t mean the task of raising godly
children is impossible. Because, with
God, anything is possible (Matthew 19:26).
At the risk of sounding preachy, here are a few things God has
taught me as a parent:
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9 makes it clear that parents have to be “all in” if they want their kids to be; training the next generation to believe what you believe means showing them every single day in every single situation how God’s truth applies and matters
- Teaching our children to follow our rules makes them look good to others but is useless for their hearts; teaching them to obey God trains their hearts to follow him as adults (2 Corinthians 3:6)
- Life is all about choices; children need to learn at home (where it’s still safe to make mistakes) how to make choices and discern between good things and God’s best
- You can’t teach what you don’t know; the best gift parents can give to their children is their increasing knowledge of God and his character; if our children understand who God truly is, they will understand why the narrow path makes sense and be better able to avoid the wide and attractive path their peers have chosen
- No matter how diligent you are in your parenting, you cannot control what the enemy will do to counteract your efforts; while your child’s response to the enemy’s work will be positively influenced by your diligence, there may still be lasting negative effects on your child’s walk with God; consistent prayer for your children, both as little ones and adults, is both a privilege and a necessity for their continued godliness
I am praying for the two millennials who publicized their thoughts, because somewhere along the way the message of truth got lost in their experiences. But I am encouraged when I remember that God relentlessly pursues us and never gives up on us. These two young ladies are not out of God’s view or his reach – regardless of how far they push him away. As God told his people Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, his love is an everlasting love and his faithfulness continues (Jeremiah 31:3). By his grace, these words are still true for us today.
