Preparing for survival

Amazing how God works! I was asked to write a message about a comment I made to Bill Dotson, founder of Abiding Fathers. A comment to his devotional writing on Joel 1.3. “Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children to another generation.” This reminded me of something I had written down a few weeks before. “Children Are The Living Messages We Send Forward To A Time That We Will Not See.” Fathers, are we preparing our children for the time that we will not see?

Two weeks ago, I took a road trip on my bucket list to the Mount Rushmore area. Before leaving, I did my research and prepared accordingly. I knew I was going to a place that I had never been before, a place where phone or Wi-Fi signals are rare, an area with not many places to get food or gas. As the adventurous type, I knew I would be hiking and climbing and so I packed everything I would need to survive in the wilderness for 3-4 days. I packed my ice chest with food, water, snacks, and filled my backpack with all the survival items needed in the mountains; rope, knife, flashlight, etc.

Prepare children for their future

In the same way, our children will be going to a place we have not seen or probably will not see. As fathers, are we preparing them for that time? Are we the ones packing their backpacks with the necessary items needed in their future? I think about common knowledge and the lack of it in today’s youth. Everyone is so dependent on technology. Would your son or daughter be able to navigate this world without their smartphone? I found that when working with kids ages 9 to 13, the 9-year old is still innocent, teachable, moldable; whereas the 13-year old has hit puberty and is no longer as innocent and no longer as teachable and moldable.

I believe that if we can start putting the necessary items in their backpack now before they hit puberty, it is more likely that they will retain and keep all that wisdom and knowledge and will begin to utilize it from a young age and into their adult years. Being out in the wilderness all by yourself can be a scary situation. But when you know that you are not alone, when you know that God is there with you, that’s when you can actually enjoy being in the wilderness exploring without fear. Are your children still young? Teach them now before it gets harder to have their attention. Are your children older? It’s never too late to tell them about Jesus. If they get to know him, they will also get to know the Father who loves them and will never leave them alone.

Teach them about God

Scripture tells us in Deuteronomy 11:19 that we should teach our children about God when we sit at home, as we walk along the road, when we lie down and get up, so that the days of our children may be many in this land. Let them know that his presence is within them, before them and behind them, beside them and all around them; in the morning and the evening, in the coming and going, in their weeping and rejoicing. Pack their backpack early with all the necessary God things. For they will be traveling into a future we may never see. And rejoice over the message you are sending through your children?

Thank you. May God bless you and your family.