The Next Generation

Written & Submitted by: Mrs. Gwen Miller

Did you ever have something you read in print jump off the page and into your heart? Or maybe you heard a sermon that stuck with you for days? That is exactly what happened to me recently while I was doing my daily Bible reading.

I came across a verse that I hadn't noticed before though I had read through the Bible many times. It must be one of the saddest verses in the Bible. It's found in Judges chapter 2. Joshua, who had faithfully led the Israelite nation after the death of Moses, was now dead. In verse 7 it says that "The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. " Yet in verse10 we see after the people buried Joshua "That all that generation also were gathered to their fathers;" and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord nor yet the work which he had done for Israel." Do you see the sorrow in that verse? As a parent trying my best to do all I can to disciple my children in the ways of God, this verse struck me as the ultimate failure in parenting. After all the wonderful miracles God had done for His people, and all the times God had delivered them from their enemies. How could the generation following Joshua's death not know God or His ways? Did they stop teaching their children diligently as instructed in Deut. 6: 6-7 "These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou rises up." Or did they fail to live righteously before their children, being Godly examples? Or maybe they just ignored the spirit of the age and became complacent in their lives. Whatever the cause, we see the end result of parents who did not make it their life's goal to be that their children know God.

This verse stuck with me for days. I began to evaluate the big and little things that I do on a daily basis regarding my children. I wanted to know that I was passing on Godly principles in teaching my children. I also wanted to know that my children were being trained to know God and His ways. As I prayed I feel God gave me a plan for passing on that knowledge of God to my children. As a homeschool mom I have been blessed to have quantity time in which to do this, without all the outside influences to overcome. I knew God wanted me to put Him first in educating my children. To give more time to teaching and memorizing God's word and to make it priority by beginning each morning with our Bible time. This sounds simple enough but as a mother who has high ideals for her children I found I had to fight against getting right into the days school lessons in hopes that my children would be ahead of grade level. As a natural born teacher I find it quite exhilarating when my children are motivated to learn. That is why I love homeschooling. However, I now began to sense God calling me to disciple my children first and to educate them second. It has affected everything I do.

I am careful to interject scripture in any situation we encounter. I know that using God's word in our daily living will make God's word relevant to them. I want them to see the value of God's word in their lives. I try to pray often with the children. Throughout the day when they have problems in their schoolwork or problems with a family member or friend we pray about it. If I can pray with them often then as God answers their prayers they will see His hand at work in their lives. I also share my prayer needs with my children. I don' t share all my prayer needs with them, but I want to share my own answers to prayer with my children thus, showing them that God still does miracles in the lives of His children.

Do I ever feel like I'm force-feeding them by shoving my religion down their throats? No. After all, I force them to eat their vegetables. They have no choice in going to dental checkups. Their spiritual health is of more importance to me than their physical health. So, I continually instruct my children in the ways of God and I require their attitudes to be responsive. At the end of this journey called parenting I want to know I did all I could to prepare my children to touch and change their generation for Christ's sake. I hope to say my children do know God and His ways.

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