Generational Goals – Faith

I love setting goals, I always have. However, my desire to achieve, heightened by the sense of satisfaction from a met goal, has changed drastically over the past two years. Yes, let’s blame it all on COVID. Being stuck at home during the pandemic-induced shelter-in-place meant that my eager goals, champing at the bit to get worked on, were placed on the back burner while I attended to my children, their online school, homework, the kitchen sink and laundry basket, which I could swear had a spell cast on them making it impossible for either to stay clean and empty for more than five minutes. Ever since some semblance of normalcy has returned to the country and more importantly my home, I have struggled to get my goal-setting, goal-getting groove back. I realise now, that some of my goals seemed so urgent at the time, but when they didn’t get done, I survived. Were they all that urgent to begin with? Look, goals are great. They keep us focused and help us channel our energy in this all-consuming and distracting world. But now when I set goals, I find myself asking if they are just for a win today or a win that will last much longer.

“One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” ~ Psalm 145:4

‘Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.”’ ~Habakkuk 2:2-4

While I have not, nor will I ever jump off the goal-setting bandwagon, I am more purposeful about what I label as a goal, what I zero my energies in on and what outcomes I celebrate. More than the initial euphoric moment when the goal is met, how will it be sustained and how can it impact others around me? Generations. For example, a goal to lose weight will mean we have to watch what we eat and exercise often. Those doing life with us will be watching how we go about it, how much we complain, whether or not we showed up for our workout and if we did, whether we enjoyed it. If you have a daughter as I do, we need to be mindful about how we chase such a goal. Yes, after having children I need to get back in shape and fit into my favourite jeans again, but as I work out that process, what might I be passing on to my daughter about body image or appreciation and stewardship of one’s body, without even knowing? Generations.

In this blog, I want to turn the spotlight on faith. We tend to set certain goals for ourselves about our faith, not realising that faith is one of those things that needs to be tackled with the perspective of generations to come. This is difficult, I won’t lie. How can we possibly think about every way those coming after us might need to be led in this area? Thankfully, we have the Holy Spirit who teaches us all things by bringing things to remembrance, guiding us into truth and showing us things to come. I think this is what it means in Habakkuk when it says the righteous will live by faithfulness to God. Without His help, we can’t even begin to paint the generational faith picture we know our children need to see for them to run with.

Now, you may be reading this and maybe you don’t have children yet. That’s ok, actually, it’s great. It means you have information many of us never had before embarking on our parenting journey. Keep reading, you can use this information as you engage with younger people in your sphere of influence. And when your time to be a parent comes, the Holy Spirit will bring these things to remembrance. In the meantime, let’s explore how we can set generational goals that will not just be met and celebrated but will create an overflow of normalcy for the next generation.

Let’s avoid operating on autopilot

More is indeed caught than is taught, but if we don’t take the time to explain to our children why we practice certain faith principles, they will stray away from them later in life, desiring to adopt their own normal. In our African context, our parents rarely explain the why behind certain customs or values. Unfortunately, this causes children to initially obey but later reject because of a lack of understanding and ownership. So rather than expecting our children to just pick it up, let’s be more involved in explaining why, sharing our testimonies with them and allowing them to see God up close, through the reflection in our eyes.

Let’s take ownership

Having worked in full-time children’s ministry in the church for over 10 years, one of the things that would irk me is hearing some parents say that we were responsible for teaching their children the Bible and biblical character. While I took great pride in creating environments where children of all ages could come and learn more about God and how to live the Christian lifestyle, we were by no means meant to take the place of their parents. Truth be told, we couldn’t even if we tried because children are in their homes with their parents more than they are in a Sunday school class on a Sunday. Some parents shy away from this responsibility because they feel their lack of knowledge or their prior mistakes disqualify them from being the primary spiritual influence in their child’s life. This is a lie from the pit of hell! There is not one person on the face of this earth who knows everything about the Bible or who hasn’t made a disqualifying mistake in the past. So let’s commit to growing and allow ourselves to walk upright, fully forgiven because of the precious gift of salvation given us by our Lord. Let’s remember that as parents it’s our responsibility to teach the Bible to our children, creating the basis for a dynamic partnership with our church’s children’s ministry to enhance what is already being done at home. This is ownership.

Let’s appreciate the value

Some people believe it is not worth the effort to teach children the Word and how to live a sound lifestyle based on biblical truths because when they grow older they will rebel, sway to the current of temptation and do their own thing. Every person must make their own decision whether or not to follow Jesus as Saviour and Lord when they are of age, but the Holy Spirit needs to have something to work with. Our appreciation of the fact that what we teach our children is simply a seed that the Holy Spirit will watchfully cultivate over time, will impress on us an urgency to get seed planting. Some people come to the Lord with no prior knowledge whatsoever of the things of God, but most times their path is shaped by detours of hurt and mistakes they wish they knew better not to make. Let’s give our children a fighting chance. 

Let’s get practical

The beauty of goals is that they are very practical. They involve well-laid-out steps, which if done consistently, lead to success. So let’s actually do the thing! Let’s get closer to God for ourselves and read the Bible with our children, younger siblings and cousins. Let’s make praying with our children part of our daily routine and let’s play the worship music as everyone gets ready for the day each morning, or during bath time. Let’s give memory verses a comeback and let’s make church and Christian community a priority. God will honour our commitment by covering our practical initiative with His supernatural power.

More than just robotically checking off a list of activities that help us towards our faith goals, I encourage you to rely heavily on the Holy Spirit. He knows us, He knows what we need and the areas we need to grow, He also knows our children and what they will need down the line of their lives. As you take these steps, I pray for a bountiful faith-filled harvest for you, your children, and many more generations to come.