Becoming a Battle Ready FatherSample

Winning the Long Term Victory

Pause for a minute and picture your family tree. Draw it in your mind (or on a napkin). Do you have a clear picture? Can you see the names in the boxes? Don’t read further until you do!

My guess: you thought mostly "up", didn't you? You considered your father and mother, your grandparents, and so on. Perhaps you thought of your own children briefly, but mostly, you thought of your forefathers.

By contrast, consider this: your descendants. How many children do or will you have? How many will they have? How many people will look up one day and see you somewhere in their family tree?

We normally think of a family tree as the thing we are at the bottom of instead of the thing we sit atop.

Consider God's promise to Abraham. His descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore. God shared that so Abraham would have the hope of descendants. Is it also possible that God did this to show Abraham what was at stake as he walked with The Lord? Was God issuing a challenge at the same time He was delivering the promise?

"Listen, Abraham, this is not just about you or even your descendants who you might see face to face. I am up to something much bigger that will affect millions of people for thousands of years. So, trust and fully rely on Me. A lot is riding on this."

Is the same true for each of us fathers? Does God want us to be aware of the dozens or hundreds or thousands of people "downstream" from us who will need a link to Him?

Do we fathers realize that our actions might affect this planet for 100 years or more? Even if we are forgotten, will the seeds of our faithfulness yield family trees for generations that provide godly shade, protection and nourishment?

We fathers can either see this as a heavy burden or an amazing privilege. I suggest we consider the joy of being a strong link in a generational chain that serves and honors The Lord.

Some days, knowing this alone gives us the strength needed to finish the war. If you found this reading plan helpful, you'll enjoy our field guide called Culture Wars written to help you win the battle between culture and your child.