A question was put to me yesterday by one who read what I had to say about the family tree. "What I would want my kids to look like and pass on to their own kids?" I had given some general ideas, but he wanted specifics, so I spent some minutes thinking about this and came up with a couple of thoughts.
Two attributes that Christian parents want to see in the lives of those closest to them, in this case my kids, would be Love and Service, and I would prioritize them in this order:
Love and Serve God
Love and Serve their family
Love and Serve others
Getting these things right is the key to a successful life, and it keeps a person away from a selfish lifestyle. Treating God, family, and others as more important than self is major.
Another area would be to live life doing your best in everything that you undertake. That is the surest way to avoid a feeling of regret later on, and the resultant question "What if I had only done....?"
One more thing would be to look to God for the confirmation of effort and not be satisfied with the judgment of other people. Doing things for the praise of men is not a lasting motive or reward and can lead to half hearted efforts, being satisfied just to look good.
When I look back at what I have written, I know how much I have failed in these areas. Sure, I have done some things right, but there have been a lot of times my motives and efforts have been far less than spectacular. My children have done a better job in a lot of these areas than I did at their ages.
Thanks be to God who gives me Grace and hides my sins.
Too soon old and too late smart,,,,FOR SURE
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