“Make sure you tell your children, and your children tell their children, And their children their children. Don’t let this message die out.” (Joel 1:3, The Message)
The context of this verse is an announcement of impending judgment, but is think there is a larger principle than the immediate context.
Mrs Sweetie and I have been burning up the highway between our home in Azle and our kids’ homes in Amarillo. (The current trip is our 4th this summer, with one remaining). I keep saying the frequency of these trips is out of the ordinary (it is), but she reminds me that, when our first grand-baby arrives in October, we may still come often (she’s probably right).
I’ve been “telling” my children for 26 years. I’ve been “telling” my kids-in-law for 3 1/2 years. I’ll start “telling” my grandchildren soon.
The point (and principle) is that we must be intentional about the way we engage the generations following–especially in the way we tell God’s story. It is a tragic mistake to fail to tell the story and to let the next generation “choose for themselves” what they will believe about God.
They will certainly make their own choices, but, they will make those choices with inadequate preparation if we fail them.
Before I wrap up for today, here’s my “aha” for the morning. Now that I am in the 50+ age bracket, I am thinking even more about the next generations. I have been very intentional about how I have engaged those who grew up under my roof. How might my engagement of the rest of them change if I see them as my generation’s children, rather than these young whipper-snappers? Is my “telling” motivated by love?
Question: Besides your own, whose children are you engaging?
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