He alone who owns the youth gains the future. – Adolf Hitler
Throughout the course of history, one thing that every generation has known is that their mission and values will not last if not perpetuated through future generations to come. One missing link in the chain and movements crumble to the ground.
This realization has made children a focal point for many a religion, a country, or a cause. Influence, indoctrination, and impact take on a whole new meaning when put in this light.
Truth passes the test of time through generations
Nothing could be more true for Christian parents.
Everything we desire to see passed on into the future must first be passed on through our children.
Children are the gateways to the future. Adolf Hitler recognized this. The media in today’s culture recognizes this. Christian parents must equally recognize this.
Every day in a child’s life a blank page is being filled until their ‘book’ is complete. The things they are daily exposed to are shaping and forming not only their thinking but their loyalties.
“A child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” – Prov. 29:15
This is why it’s crucial for parents to be overseeing their children’s daily diet. Hours of unsupervised device time, in front of the television, or playing video games is not likely going to help a mom or dad raise a child whose values mirror that of their parents. Intentional investments, a consistent example, and a loving, grace-filled home will.
Children need parents who are involved and even at times invasive in their lives. Otherwise, a child’s value system will gradually take on the form of their strongest surroundings.
There is a very real battle for the hearts and minds of today’s youth, because “he who controls the mind, wins the battle”. Every. Single. Time.
Every person’s life is moving in the direction of their strongest thoughts
Whether as an adult or a child, what you think determines who you become.
The late Ravi Zacharias spoke of this challenge we face perfectly when he said… “How do you reach a generation that listens with its eyes and thinks with its feelings?”
Young people today are constantly being pushed towards making decisions about good vs. evil based upon sight and feelings rather than truth and reason. According to Jeremiah 17:9 (the heart is deceitful above all things), this is a recipe for disaster.
This reality is part of our challenge as parents. We must figure it out. The future for our children and grandchildren depends on it.
Our children must not be left to themselves to know what to think and how to believe. This requires that parents be having regular conversations with their kids about how to interpret the world around them and all its complexities through the lens of Scripture.
As Christian parents, we must honestly ask ourselves:
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Am I doing all that I can to successfully instill my values and love for Jesus above all else into my children?
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How can I use what my children inevitably see and experience to shape their view of God and the world around them?
- Am I willing to help my children listen to, and love, those whose views differ from mine?
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What things really matter and are worth passing down, and what things don’t?
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What values and convictions are essential hills worth dying on? And which ones aren’t?
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What beliefs that I hold to are clearly laid out in the Scriptures? And what beliefs I cling to are clearly not?
The world is changing right in front of our eyes
The world we were raised in is no longer the world our children live in. And the world in which our children will raise our grandchildren will not be the world as it is now. This is why it is so important that we train our children for the world they will live in, not the one we want them to live in.
Many parents are majoring on minors by focusing on negative Christianity, rather than preparing their children for making an eternal difference. It’s time for Christian parents to get laser-focused about preparing a generation for the task of living in light of the power of the Gospel and holding forth that light in a world of ever-increasing darkness.
Do you believe in the power of a generation – that every generation literally holds the power to change the world? I do.
The bigger question though is this, “What kind of change are we preparing them to make?”
For he established a testimony… that they should make them known to their children:
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments. – Psalm 78:5-7
