DEAR FATHER, TEACH VALUE OVER STATUS
I still wonder why my Dad consulted us that year. All I remember was that he asked which one he should buy- A Car or a Computer. It was the season when computers were first becoming a thing. It was in the days of diskettes and compact discs.
That night, we all told Dad that we could keep using the car we had while we got a computer. That was a decision that I would never forget. We chose value and growth over status.
Today, we are all involved in things that we need to deploy the knowledge we picked up as kids. Indeed, he chose the future.
I remember my Dad shared about how his own father was harassed several times by his friends. They told him he was wasting his time sending his children to school. He could use the same funds to build a house. He mentioned the names of all his children and said, “Those are the houses I am building now”.
Dear Father, we know that a big car is good. We know that a big house is good but when it comes to posterity, great seeds (children) cannot be compared to that desire to show off.
The Lord said something about Abraham:
Genesis 18:19 AMP
For I have known (chosen, acknowledged) him [as My own], so that he may teach and command his children and [the sons of] his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is righteous and just, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has promised him.”
Dear father, show the next generation how great choices are made. Show them how resources are purposefully administered. Raise a strong generation and not a weak one.
In a generation that celebrates status and neglects value, teach them values.
In a generation that wants everything fast, show that there is still a virtue called delayed gratification.
In a generation that does not care about the source of wealth, show that there is such a thing as the integrity and dignity of labour.
We have a song we used to sing as young children in the choir:
We are children. We are the heritage of the Lord. It is what we say we should do that we will do. It is what we see you do that we will do. If you tell lies, we will tell lies. If you are a petty thief, we will be armed robbers. If you are lazy, we will do much more. Why? We learn by example, and we are innocent at heart because we are children.
What are you showing the next generation about making choices?
© temilOluwa Ola, Eruwa
–
Thank you for receiving God’s Word. Be the first to get daily updates. Join the WhatsApp Channel 👇🏽👇🏽
–
Click here to get messages by Pastor Temiloluwa Ola 👇🏽👇🏽