Repairing the Generation Gap
By Dianne Schroeder
As arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. – Psalm 127:4
“I am trying to be a good example for my little brother,” a young lad told his mother as he left Young Shepherds class on Sunday. Another young girl arrived with a belligerent attitude, but by evening’s end she was making friends and asking them to help her complete her craft to share with others.
Parents, your children truly desire to take their place in God’s great work and to build their portion of the wall, and you can lead and teach them by your example. Will we do it perfectly? No, and they won’t either. We are not perfect beings, but we are each called to do our best to take this message of eternal hope to a world that is lost in a confusing, moral quagmire.
Our children can most definitely be used by God to live out and to share the Gospel in this world. As parents, grandparents, and Christian educators, we need to encourage our children at every age to embrace spiritual disciplines such as prayer, worship, church attendance, daily devotions, and personal witness. Exemplify for your children the importance of church attendance. Pray a five-minute prayer with them and encourage them to pray their own short prayer each morning and evening.
As we listen to them we can determine what they believe and what they are being taught. As we teach them to pray, to access God’s Word for themselves, and to live for Him, we help them to become the arrows that the Lord will fit to the bow and shoot to hit the bull’s eye: the hearts of lost men, women, boys, and girls. While it is the work of the Holy Spirit to quicken His Word to their young hearts and minds and to lead them into His will for their lives, parents and teachers can partner in this great work.
We can make sure each child understands the message of salvation and has prayed to receive Jesus into his own heart; that he owns a bible and is encouraged to pray for God to open his understanding as he reads it and seeks to share its message with others. We can pray with our children to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Who brings understanding and boldness to their witness as they join in the Great Commission. Acts 1:8 says: “And you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” With the diversity of ethnicities in this country, our children’s very classroom or neighborhood may constitute “the nations” ripe for outreach. As they hear us share the message of Christ’s work on the Cross with others, they will gain expertise and be encouraged to do the same. Can children do that? Absolutely! When it comes to God’s work, children are never insignificant. On the contrary, Jesus singles out children as the essence of God’s kingdom in Luke 18:16: “But Jesus called them to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.’”
Psalm 8:2 says that God can use our children to silence the enemy: “Through the praise of children, you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger,” and Isaiah 11:6 says, “A little child shall lead them.” Small children are more willing to share their faith at this time in their lives than they ever will be. Don’t overlook your greatest resource: involve your children in God’s great work.
Research reveals that homes and churches actively fostering “a vibrant lived-out faith” tend to produce children who have and who will keep as adults, a vibrant lived-out faith. “Those children will have a mind to work. They will build their portion of the wall now and will continue that work into their adult years,” says Glen Stanlon, Director of Family Formation Studies for Focus on the Family. America is experiencing the lowest fertility rate in thirty years. The next generation of wall builders depends upon physical births and spiritual rebirths within the church.
Children have always been used by God to lead their parents and other adults into a relationship with Him and to show them a renewed sense of self-sacrifice. They have deep convictions: I am a child. I am not yet legally an adult; but my God, my teacher, my parents expect me to care about the souls of others and to share the Gospel with them. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will take it from there. Let’s not diminish the potential of our children to participate in a very significant way in the fulfillment of The Great Commission. Let’s encourage our children to trust the Lord and wrestle with – rather than avoid – faith challenges. Remember, being teased and otherwise persecuted can actually serve as a faith builder for a child who knows his God.
Children need to see that their faith can solve problems, cut through cultural darkness, and redeem hopeless situations. When we give our children premature advice or instant solutions, we deprive them of the experience that comes through wrestling their own way through their problems. Teaching is not always about answering questions. It is more about raising questions to be answered. We must touch the hearts of our children so that what we teach their minds will make its home in their hearts. Celebrate and share God’s Word each day and create a healthy spiritual atmosphere in your home. Even the busiest parent can make time to read one verse and sing one song with the children. Encourage even your smallest children to participate in the National Day of Prayer, Prayer at the Flagpole, and Bring your Bible to School Day. You may even agree with them to take your Bible to work that day, and look for witnessing opportunities.
Discuss the possible negative interactions they may face, as well as positive ones. That evening, share with each other the impact you’re your decisions made, and encourage them in their stand for Christ. If your children should weaken and compromise, it is crucial that you don’t condone their sin or join them in it for fear of losing them. As they see you stand firm in your faith, they will understand that you are spiritually stable enough to lead them because you know your God. When they come to you with a need, pray for it together. Soon they will begin to live out their own faith in full view when you’re not with them.
As you join with others to build your portion of the wall, they will do the same. We pledge that we will link arms with you to encourage them. All of us will “have a mind to work,” as it says in Nehemiah 4:6. Together, we will rebuild the wall, for the people will work with all their heart to do this great work for God (Nehemiah 6:3).