Handing the Baton to the Next Generation

Today my feet literally touched Holy Ground. I am in Israel! The first words our guide said to us were, "Welcome Home". It did not take me long to really get was he was saying - it is our spiritual home. He said that many of us had been taught our spiritual heritage and history way before even our American History. I never looked at it quite like that. He also said that all of the stories that we had heard since we were toddlers were about to come alive. Little did I realize then how amazingly true that would become. I was overcome by emotion on many occasions as I saw places and heard the lectures. When he made the statement again about our spiritual heritage and those who taught us God’s Word I became very emotional. I was incredibly grateful for the gift I had received as a child. It was not until my family moved to the coast when I was 4 years old that I ever went to church. There was a tiny lady there who went by the name of “Shorty Sullivan”. I don’t know that I ever knew her real name. She was very tiny, very old and wrinkled, and had the appearance of a little gnome. She and her husband, Leroy were very poor. Her husband was illiterate and trapped muskrat and "shrimped" for a living. Yet, this tiny little lady began to teach me the scriptures and made the Word come alive for me. It was her that began a hunger in me to know all of the stories and all of the details, and the questions that I asked surely drove her crazy. So…as I stood here yesterday – on Holy Ground – and saw story after story come alive before my eyes I found myself ever so thankful for Shorty Sullivan’s ministry. She was someone that the world would not remember but I certainly did. Thank you God for placing her in my life. I don’t know how I would have learned about who God was and is without her.

Thinking about this has reminded of the incredible responsibility that we parents are given. We are to teach and train our children in God's Word and ways. We must teach the next generation and "pass the baton" to them. Deut. 5 - 7 says "Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments I give to you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk with them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Each day there are hundreds of teachable moments to share with our children about God. We just have to be intentional and look for them. It is easy to think we don't know enough or they won't understand or sometimes we are just too busy. However, those reasons (or excuses) do not remove the mission we have been given by God. He was pretty plain in those verses in Deuteronomy.

Rich Mullins had a song with a verse that spoke to the importance of reading the Bible to children. The verse said, "Stories like that make a man grow bold, stories like that make a man walk straight." Even when our children were very young I can remember reading Bible stories to them. It is one of my most precious memories. They had to take turns choosing the story and we often read the same stories over and over again. Funny how their personalities come out in their choices. Our oldest son always chose Samson and our youngest son always chose David and Goliath. We were not master theolgians and often could not pronounce correctly the names. However, the good news is that God promises that "His Word will not return void". I know that I am clinging to that verse and pray the same for you.

The Other Side of the Fence

Our youngest son was a very easy and compliant child - most of the time. However, there were a few things that he just seemed to test the limits. One such example had to do with the rule at our house that under no circumstances were you EVER to go into the street without an adult. If your ball rolled into the street - you went and got Mom or Dad but you were never to chase it. Because we lived near the High School our street was sometimes used as a short cut - generally by teenagers. So...the end result of going into the street was a spanking. It was that serious! We lived in a house that had a long driveway that was concrete and the street was asphalt. Thus, there was a very obvious line where the drive met the street. For reasons I can't begin to explain, Zach would walk directly to the crack where the street met the drive and put his big toe on it and then look at me. Technically, he was not really in the street but in his mind he was. He knew the boundary. He knew he had the entire front and back yard to play in with tons of toys. He knew the consequences. Yet...he pushed on the boundary to see if it was still the same that day. So...he would get a swat and be told to stay out of the street. Then he would run off and play - satisfied that the lines had not moved and nothing had changed. I have no idea why he needed to know that on more than one occasion!

This morning I was reading in the Psalms and I came across a verse that reminded me that I often do the very same thing as my toddler. Psalm 16: 5 - 6 says, "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." The commentary said these lines were used to describe God's blessing and that He can be trusted - in every circumstance. In other words, I can rest in the fact that God has me where He wants me and that He has a plan for my life. Just like Zach, I have "boundary lines" that are for my good and I also have wonderful things inside of those boundaries.

Why then does the "other side of the fence" look so appealing at times? If where I am is what is best for me, why do I put my big toe on the line? I think that one of satan's greatest tactics is getting us to first, look over the fence trying to make us dissatisfied with our side. Then, when we feel like we are missing out on something, we start leaning on the boundary and putting our toes on it. Next thing you know we are running into the street. Funny though, you don't often get hit on the first venture across the line. However, the day will eventually come and the results will be disastrous. As a result of this great reminder today I think I am going to be thankful for what I have and keep my eyes and toes where they belong. I will rest in the fact that my Heavenly Father does love me and He only wants the best for His little girl!

Through the Eyes of a Child

I saw a family walking around my block this weekend. Dad, Mom, Grandma & Grandpa, and children were spread out for a little less than half of the length of the street. It reminded me of days gone by. Taking 4 children for a walk meant that some would be "hares" and others would be more of the "tortoise" kind. A walk could take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. It also meant that someone or multiples of someones would beg to be carried somewhere on the journey. At times I found myself impatient that a simple walk could take so long. From my point of view, the purpose of a walk was to go around the block to tire out the children so they would take a nap or to entertain them for a short while. Yet, a child's purpose is completely different. They see a walk as a great adventure - the treasure hunt was limitless. A caterpillar crossing over a stick on the sidewalk was great excitement. Seeing a "rolly-polly" curl and uncurl was even more amazing. Then, if sunset was upon us, to catch a firefly and watch it light up in your hand was nothing short of miraculous. Clouds also had their own fascination. Seeing the various shapes, sizes, and colors made for great games and imagination. Puddles were the absolute highlight though. Children do not walk around them or play neatly in them. They jump in with both feet - screaming with delight the entire time!

Oh, to be a child again! Sometimes I think being an adult is a real disadvantage. I can't remember the last time it took me an hour to walk around the block and the only puddle I stepped in brought screams - but not ones of delight! To have the eyes that see and appreciate all of the miracles of God (no matter how big or small) would be a much needed "vision correction". I don't know when or how it happens, but it seems like most adults become so very busy and dare I say it "cynical". We forget to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures God has just waiting for us. Jesus told us in Matthew 18 that we needed to become like little children. I think He wants us to do that for lots of reasons. One of them is so we get to experience life in the delightful way of a child. So...maybe tomorrow night run outside and see if the sun paints some brilliant colors on the landscape. Gaze on it, and laugh, and clap - if you are brave enough. See life through the eyes of a child...and it just might open up a whole new world!