Preparing Our Children

Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it. 1 Chronicles 28:10

Like most parents, I want to give my children the tools they need to succeed in life. As they’ve graduated from college, pursuing work and graduate school, I’ve been immensely proud. They’re wonderful children, but still, as they experience trials, I’ve got to wonder if I passed on my flaws as well as my assets. I’d love to think that I’ve given them strength, wisdom, and opportunity, but I know that as I still have my struggles in life, they will too. I can only hope that when their trials come, that I’ve modeled that they must turn to God, seeking his will for their lives. And I know that even though they’re not little anymore, my current behavior still has some impact on them. They learn not only what I tell them, but they continue to learn from my actions. Daily, as I pray for them, I also pray that I would live the kind of life that would serve as a good example for them to follow. If I desire that they grow into a certain kind of adult, it behooves me to be that kind of adult.

I’ve got to wonder if King David wrestled with some of these thoughts as he parented Solomon. In today’s passage, David is portrayed as purposefully preparing Solomon for his future as king and as the builder of God’s temple. David knew Solomon would carry on his legacy and so, he did a tremendous amount of work preparing for his future. David though, must have been acutely aware that Solomon knew the disgraceful story of his father and mother (Bathsheeba). Solomon must have known that even though he was chosen by God above his older brothers to be king, he was also born of a salacious scandal. Was David embarrassed by this? When he coached Solomon, did he bring up his own failures? Don’t make the mistakes I made . . .

Though David passed on a legacy of scandalous behavior, he also passed on a story of God’s redemptive power. Solomon himself served as an example of God using a terrible sin for his own purpose, turning something awful into something good.

I like that. As I continue to prepare my children for their future, I can’t ignore my failures. Rather, I want to use them to point to God’s redemptive power. If I turn to God in my failures, allowing him to make something good out of something bad, then my kids will inherit that legacy. It’s not if my kids will struggle. It’s when they will struggle. All kids eventually struggle. When they do, I want them to know where to turn. So, I must continue to seek God in my own life. Daily, as I pray for their future, it’s my job to continue to live as the kind of adult I hope they become.