Christian parents and grandparents desire that their children want to follow Jesus. At least, I’d like to think they do. I certainly hope they do. As we do most everything else, we have the capacity to impact how our children think about the Lord.
We cannot determine the heart affections of our children,
but we can strongly influence them.
The Netherlands and Chicago Sports
Most are aware of Brenda’s Dutch heritage. She and her sister are first generation Americans. They are Wooden Shoes by birth and by attitude. At Christmas time, Dutch pastries fill our kitchen and wood shoes line the stairs waiting for Sinterklass to fill them with candy, small toys, and coins. With the arrival of grandchildren, we need more stairs for all the shoes. Don’t tell my kids. Let’s keep it between us – Brenda fills the shoes with goodies, not Sinterklass. Shhh!
As a very young boy, my passion was the Chicago Cubs. I could not get enough of Baseball cards, box scores in the newspaper, and afternoon baseball from Wrigley Field. I vividly remember listening to Chicago Blackhawks hockey games coming from my bedside radio on the AM dial. I was a Chicago Bulls fan before Michael Jordan arrived for the 1986 season, and there has never been anyone like Walter Payton, the best running back in the history of the NFL and a Chicago Bear.
My children have never lived for one minute anywhere near the city of Chicago, the place where I was born. Of the four, only Jeffery has visited the Netherlands. So, would you explain to me the enthusiasm for Dutch heritage and would you explain to me the obsession with Chicago sports teams shared by all four of our children? They all love the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, and Cubs. During the most recent World Cup soccer tournament, the Dutch and US teams took the pitch against each other in the round of 16. Only one of us cheered for the USA.
My sports passions became our children’s sports passions. Brenda’s love for her Dutch heritage has expanded to our children. When Michael was very young and the Cubs were very bad, he asked his mom, “Mom, why do we have to be Cubs fans?” Brenda told him that he doesn’t have to be a Cubs fan. He can be a fan of any team he wants. He dropped his head and mourned, “I’ve tried, but I can’t. I just can’t.”
I’d guess there are similar stories in your family. Your children like roller coasters because you do. Your children like coffee because you do. Your children like a style of music because you do. Your children like horses or airplanes or running in the sprinkler because you introduced them. Your children like a particular dessert, vegetable, make of automobile, recreational activity, or something else, and their affection for the thing grew out of your affection for the thing.
Your Loves and Your Child’s Loves
We cannot determine the heart affections of our children, but we can strongly influence them. Do you believe that? Do you believe that what you love they are more likely to love? The influence extends to a love for our Lord. If you love our Lord, your children are in a most advantageous position to love him too. If you love his word, your children are in a position to love his word too. If you love his church, your children are well positioned also to love his church. Your influence will play a significant role, not the only role, but a significant one in their affection for our Lord, his word, and his church. The Bible says so.
And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).
Moses instructed the people to make the air of the house the person of the Lord because this is the best way to grow the children’s affections for the Lord. A house that smells of Jesus is a house likely to produce hearts that are faithful to Jesus.
So, what would that look like in your house? Let’s answer that question next week.
As always, thanks for reading, and I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.