The year was 1980. I remember it well because it was the summer we lived in Greenville, OH. I had just finished 2nd grade.
My parents told me to get in the car, because we had an errand to run.
But I didn’t want to. I wanted to play some more. That was the summer I learned Chinese jump rope. I practiced constantly with my friends in the neighborhood, so I was getting pretty good at it by that point.
I disobeyed. I wouldn’t come. I acted as if I didn’t hear them and continued doing what I wanted to do with my $1.00 toy.
It wasn’t until I went inside later that I learned that the purpose of that errand was to go get a piano they had found. I had been begging to take piano lessons, but a purchase that large was just not possible for us at that time. God had provided a free piano—an answered prayer—and all we had to do was pick it up.
But my disobedience ruined everything.
I didn’t get a piano until much later (through the grace of my parents,) and I didn’t get my wish to start lessons at that time either. I messed everything up by seeking my own way and thinking I knew best.
Reading Judges recently reminded me of that summer, and how easily we seek our own way.
The children of Israel had lived through Moses leading them through the wilderness where they saw God do incredible things. Then, Joshua came along and led them as they took over the land that God promised them and won victories that can only be explained as miraculous.
But still, they wanted their own way.
Judges 2:10 says, “And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that He had done for them.”
This verse reminds us that our disobedience doesn’t just affect us—it shapes what our children know of God.
Have you read the book of Judges? It’s shocking! It’s a horror show of bad decisions and unimaginable sin that makes it really hard to read.
Like me with the piano, the Israelites forfeited a gift, not because God hadn’t provided, but because they refused to obey.
And it all started with a generation that didn’t know the Lord or all the amazing things that God had done for them and for their people.
That’s pretty stunning, considering Moses clearly instructed parents in Deuteronomy 6 to teach their children diligently to love God with all their hearts and to stand in awe of all that He has done for them.
Joshua instructed the parents to complete the conquest of the land, driving out all the other nations so that their children wouldn’t be ensnared by the foreign gods and their ways.
But the people didn’t want to.
I guess they thought it was too hard. They were too busy. They had plans of their own, ambitions that didn’t include those directives.
Like them, we live in a world full of distractions. Our own ambitions, busyness, or fatigue can easily take priority over God’s command to disciple our children.
Maybe like so many of us, they thought they’d get to it later.
They gave lip service to obedience while not really following through.
Because of my disobedience, I lost a piano. The people of Israel lost their children.
The stakes of obedience are high for you and for your children after you. It is imperative that you prioritize taking the time to disciple your children and parent them biblically even as you are continuing to grow in your own faith.
God does not expect you to be mistake free with your children. But, our priorities are so important. In Scripture, over and over God asks parents to prioritize teaching our children faith and Scripture and what it means to follow Him.
Nothing else is more important, and I challenge you to move everything out of the way that’s keeping you from obeying God’s directive to teach your children diligently and give them a foundation for a faith that’s personal and will stick with them as they grow and mature.
Have conversations with them about how God has worked in your life and the great things He has done for you and for your family.
Make sure you are giving your children every opportunity to know and love God and pray that they never reject His love or turn away from Him.
If you are too busy to spend the amount of time it takes to shepherd their hearts well, cancel things.
If you prioritize other things above discipleship, pray for direction back to what God has called you to do.
The stakes are high!
My heart is grieved by the calls and emails I get from families who feel helpless as they watch their children go their own way. They are suffering with regret for prioritizing so many other things above the things of eternal importance.
Whatever it is that’s holding you back or keeping you too busy to make sure that your children have every opportunity to know the Lord and the great work He has done, now is the time to amputate that from your life and equip yourself to do everything you can to disciple your children and point them towards Jesus, preparing them well to walk with Him all their life.
There is no greater call and nothing more rewarding in this world than knowing that your children love and serve God. That is success, and that is our heart’s prayer for your family.
Your obedience—or lack of it—impacts generations.
