Spiritual Reckoning

Note: I am biased by my own experiences raising children and living as a Christ-following “Gramps.” My conclusions arise from nearly 68 years of observations. Browsing this short essay may be as thought provoking to you as it was for me while writing it.

Awakening to the Cause

Paul the Apostle said: “…my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well-known throughout the praetorian guard and to everyone else.” (Phil. 1:13 NASB)

 While chained to a prison guard, the Apostle had no idea that his loyalty to the cause of Christ would impact “everyone else” centuries later (including us!).

As a parent of three married sons, and grandparent to twenty-one grandchildren, I ask myself: “How should our family introduce our children to the weight and worth of serving the cause of Christ”? At some point, after a child receives Jesus as Savior, the gravity of their profession must sink in. They must undergo a spiritual reckoning: They have pledged allegiance to a cause worth devoting their lives to—and even dying for.

Paul expressed the character of his spiritual reckoning when he wrote, “…to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21)  

But is it reasonable to expect a youth to pledge his or her life to a cause with the same resolve as an apostle or the “cloud of witnesses” listed in Hebrews 11-12? Is this level of devotion too challenging for a pre-teen or teenager to own? And do families bear responsibility for awakening their young ones to the cause of Christ?

Four children—a priest trainee, an adolescent girl, a child prophet, and a shepherd boy—bear record to God’s confidence in devoted youths who awaken to their purposes.

• Samuel, at twelve years old (according to Josephus and tradition), carried God’s unwelcome message to his mentor, and later God chose Samuel to replace that mentor as God’s revered prophet of Israel.

• Mary, an adolescent, answered her spiritual reckoning by submitting to God’s plan for Jesus’ birth. Her song of prophecy reveals her sense of destiny:  

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  From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. (Luke 1:46–55)

• Jeremiah complained to God that he was only a child and couldn’t speak—but God empowered him to become the reluctant (but resolute) weeping prophet of Israel.

• David was a boy in his mid-teens when he lopped off Goliath’s head. He was still an adolescent when Samuel anointed him to be king of Israel.

How would young Samuel, Mary, Jeremiah, and David fair in our culture of distorted values today? These four adolescents had vastly diverse upbringings, and God’s purposes for each were as dissimilar as the times in which they lived. But a spiritual reckoning had jolted the souls of these four Bible kids–an awakening to the weight and worth of their commitment.

God has placed a desire to bond to a cause greater than themselves in every young person. A family of Christ followers should work hand-in-hand with the Holy Spirit to validate this awakening when they recognize it is taking place.

While our sons and daughters are wide-eyed and innocent, we must seize every opportunity to imprint their souls with God’s scriptural moral code. It is a family’s responsibility to commandeer their destiny—before other causes steal their hearts. They must learn that their Savior lives in reality, and that he will never abandon them, no matter their circumstance or faults. We can affirm their fledgling Christian worldview by being transparent—discussing details of our adventures, mistakes, and God’s miracles.

Expect Jesus to send our children a spiritual reckoning. This awakening may result from an astonishing event that bonds them to the cause of Christ. It may be a shocking deliverance, an experience at church, or an answer to prayer—but be assured: They will know that they have encountered God.

Be the First

We should be the first to discuss the hard topics with our kids: like the holocaust of the Jews, abortion, the martyrdom of believers, gateway drugs, child trafficking, and pornography. We must prepare them to recognize “mentors” who would ruin their virtue, and we should be the first to describe the counterfeit “pleasures” of life.

Our attentiveness and intercession protects our kids from the traps of useless worldly (“Look at me! I’m making a difference!”) causes. A Christ following family is well-positioned to show our children that living with eternity on their minds is natural and rational. Jesus is more than words on pages. Our Creator is present and active—available to help us every moment, no matter our fears or feelings.

" Even after our boys and girls awaken to the gravity of serving Christ, they will battle doubts—and Grandpa and Grandma, Mom and Dad, will grieve and intercede. In the midst of their questioning we can show our prodigals what kinship with Jesus looks like—continuing to involve them in our family’s victories and struggles to “walk in the Spirit.”

In answer to our intercession, Jesus will guide their fingers to the cleft in his side. With his nail-scarred hands he will hold them close—and his compassion will awaken them to the cause of Christ like never before.

Remember: A family’s intercession never fails to kindle God’s intervention.Someday it will be their turn to: “Train up a child in the way he [or she] should go…” And by faith they too will stand upon God’s promise that: “when he [or she] is old, he [or she] will not depart from it.”

The Apostle John expresses the hope of every believing parent and grandparent when he writes: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 4) "

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)