PROSPEROUS PONDERINGS

I was at this bible study the other night and we were discussing the issue of prosperity. Only we didn’t call it that. It was more of a gripe session about why we couldn’t as parents get our kids to do more than barely function since we all had kids that we just struggle to get by.

I was myself in a less of a position to be a father in that regard since in this group I’m the least in terms of prosperity. So my options in terms of lending a hand to my son is definitely less than those of the others.

Still as I observed, having more options didn’t translate into either them actually changing the lives of their kids. The ones they had that were treading water at best and just getting by. I could sense the frustrations that often stabbed at them over feeling utterly impotent in terms of being able to effect the situation in a positive way.

It was funny in a way I suppose, but the reality is that I have noticed how often God speaks and deals with one person without it necessarily being a blessing that touches their child. I can think of any true and loving parent who doesn’t want better for their kids. I’ve know way too many who acted otherwise and even some who went to church, but despite the sickness that represents, I think the loving parent really wants their child to do well.

None of that means the child will actually succeed. Nor does it guarantee they will come to the faith or follow God in any way. When one looks at the scriptures there are far too many incidents of children who didn’t follow God who had some parent that was called by the Lord to some special purpose.

When it comes to the issue of prosperity on all the different levels that prevail the question I think that is tough to ask is whether we are really willing to accept when God’s answer is no? By that I mean to accept when perhaps our child’s path is going to be one totally different from our own.

It is so easy in life for purely selfish reasons to want one’s child to embrace one’s values and then be able to be a proud parent who can feel so happy that their child is prosperous. Yet do we have the faith and obedience to always accept when that means they have to be different from us? I do wonder at times.

In my life, I know I have been someone totally different from my parents. And it always caused friction because they couldn’t accept who I was. However, God granted me a peace to see that following him as my Heavenly Father was more important.

It hasn’t meant I’ve gotten rich in terms of my bank account. It does mean I have know the wealth of contentment that only comes from being yourself.

For me that is being rich in a special way. And my biggest prayer is that I afford my own son the same freedom to know the wealth God truly intends for his life too.