Your Starring Role

I have a cross-stitched sampler on my wall that states,   

“You can’t lead your children if you don’t know where you’re going.”

It makes me stop and think about my direction… my intentionality… the path that I have chosen. Life can get so full and busy that it is easy to forget there is a final destination we must strive for. Some would say that is heaven, but I prefer to consider my desired destination as fulfilling God’s plan for my life… then heaven is just the icing on the cake.

The question is, how do we manage a family and all that comes with it and still get the message across to our children that God has a plan for our lives and that we have an amazing hope for eternity because of a loving God and a risen Savior? Having the right words to say to them is important, but words are just words. You could tell them daily that the grass is purple and they would eventually remember those words. They may grow to believe that green is purple or they may just decide you don’t know what you are talking about.

The point is, as followers of Jesus we have a glorious hope for an eternity that will dissolve every concern and care that we have experienced here, in a moment. But does that hope translate to our kids? I’m afraid that what our kids see is our rushing about, our impatient responses, our worries about finances, our struggling relationships. They see one thing… our stress, yet we are telling them we believe that Jesus died for our sins and rose again and is preparing a place in heaven for us. Big deal!  They won’t want any part of that if it appears to be so miserable!

Are we so overwhelmed and consumed with this life that we seldom think of the life designed for us by a Sovereign God that will lead to an eternity with Him in paradise? We may as well be telling them that the grass is purple!  They are going to decide we haven’t a clue what we are saying or they will learn to believe that placing our hope in Jesus means nothing more that being busy and stressed out!

I would like to challenge you to allow the Holy Spirit to so engulf you, that even in the midst of the busyness, your children will be able to know that you are on a journey toward fulfilling a Divine plan in which you have a starring role. Let them know that God created you for a special purpose, to fulfill a plan that He made long ago… even before He made you.  Let them know that you are taking time in the Word so that you can know God better as you read His story. Let them know that you need some time for quiet so that God can speak to your heart and you can listen as He directs you toward your part in His plan.  Be in awe of the fact that the God who created the entire universe wants to have a forever relationship with YOU and let that seep into your life so that it can be seen in your smile and your eyes and your attitude.

Don’t worry so much about the words you say to them. Just make your actions and attitude reflect the amazing journey to fulfilling God’s divine plan for your life. I cannot imagine anything better than knowing that my kids are excited about finding where they fit in God’s plan. And knowing that they “caught” that from my enthusiastic pursuit… priceless!