The Things We Pass Down (Genesis 26)

Genesis 26

I like any good parent worry about my children.

I worry about their choices...of friends, of decisions in times of peer pressure, of safety when beyond the purview of my gaze, of career paths, of provision, of knowing Christ, of...well, I'm sure you can fill in the blanks endlessly.

Now with most of these worries, I take the role as a parent and guide my children to understanding (as best I can) and pray to God that this equipping will be enough a foundation for them to build their lives on or at least run back to if they stray.  I can leave them in the hands of God and they don't consume me.

But one fear plagues my heart concerning the future of my kids.  My own sins passed down to the next generation.

In the 10 Commandments found in Exodus 20 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5, the second commandment states:

You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments.  --Exodus 20:4-6; Deuteronomy 5:8-10

Now, of course, my wife and I love the Lord.  According to this commandment we should have nothing to fear concerning a retributive passing down of iniquity from the Lord.

But what of human frailty? 

In the life of Isaac, we see a very similar situation occur to him as it did his father Abraham.  There comes a famine in the land and Isaac goes to the land of Abimelech at the instruction of the Lord for provision.  However, fear grips the heart of Isaac and like his father, he tells a lie to get him out of a precarious situation.  Human ingenuity trumps the provision and protection of God...again.

This account of Isaac's life should remind each of us that our children pick up many things from our lives by observing our actions, by hearing stories of past deeds (good and bad) and the light we put those deeds in, by the company we keep, by the diligence in which we work, by the words we use to encourage or tear down others, by our contrition when we are in the wrong and by the faith in Christ that we observe (or don't observe).

I know my children are not perfect, nor will they ever be in this life.  But I know what I have struggled with.  I know the pain of my struggle with sin and I desperately want my children to be able to break the cycle of specific sins that have plagued my life or have possibly been found in generations before me.  Maybe they will.  But whether they do or not...I know they will have struggles of their own that are just as hard as the ones I've faced.

However, more importantly than my fear of their struggles and failings, I want my children to experience the steadfast love of God, found in Christ.  If I can pass that down, I know they will have a more secure foundation than any struggle they may face. 

God, would You be so gracious to have my children see in me the grace given through Christ that can overcome any of my failings so they may put their trust in You with their struggles too?  That's really all I ask for their lives.