Books

Focus On The Fundamentals Of The Faith

By W. Douglass Harris

What Will Your Children Remember About Home?

All Christian parents should be concerned about the memories their children will have of home. It was the memory of his father’s home that motivated the prodigal son to resolve to return to his father (Luke 15:16-20). Memory is a powerful faculty for good or bad. The rich man’s memory of wasted opportunities will torment him for all eternity (Luke 16:25). Those impressions made on our minds early in life, whether good or bad, will be powerful in shaping the lives of our children. “Memory tempers prosperity, mitigates adversity, controls youth, and delights old age” (Lactantius). What will your children remember about home?

1. That you had great faith in God and the Bible? Children catch faith in God from their parents at first. Then later their faith is confirmed and strengthened as they examine and accept the evidence of God upon which it is based (Romans 10:17). If the parents do not trust God and demonstrate in their lives that they do, neither will the children (Proverbs 22:6). Solomon catalogs in Proverbs 31:1-9 the things his mother taught him. Will our children remember that we walked with the giants of faith who are chronicled in Hebrews 11?

2. Will they remember that we were faithful in attendance at all the services of the Church? Nothing will make a greater impact on your children than this. If a parent absents himself from the services without a valid reason, the children will know it. If we allow the children to stay home to do their school lessons, they will know what the parents consider more important. If the parents are “Sunday morning Christians” (?), the children will be like them. That example that is set before them is the most powerful teacher of all. What kind of memories do we want our children to have in later life of us as parents relative to our concern about having them in the Bible classes and other services?

3. Will they remember that we were spiritually-minded parents? Spirituality is something that is communicated to others by the order of our priorities. Do our children observe in us spirituality in every decision and action as parents? Even in the simple practice of expressing thanks before meals, or reading our Bibles and praying daily, or choosing spiritual things in preference to the secular and the material? Do they see that we are more concerned about their spiritual training than their secular education (Ephesians 6:4)? What will our children remember about our priorities in life (Matthew 6:33)?

Conclusion: As our children remember us in future years, will they rise up and call us blessed, as the Scriptures say (Proverbs 31:28)? How foolish it is to wait until it is too late to do anything about this! Soon they will be gone from home and have only memories we gave them. Will they be memories for which they will be thankful and give them comfort and direction for all of their lives?