Should we plan for the future? It seems that the Israelites did:
Deuteronomy 6:20-21, “In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?’ tell him: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.'”
There was the assumption that children would ask their parents in the future, thus the need for planning. That verse strikes me especially sharply now that I’m a father. I want to be prepared to answer the questions of life that my son will ask. I want to be able to point him to the Scriptures as the source for life. I want my answers to always paint a picture of the big God that we serve. I don’t want to answer the question, “Why are you disciplining me?” with “Because I said so.” Rather, I want to point my son back to the biblical responsibility I have as a parent to honor God and love him (my son). See Hebrews 12:7-11. I have a mere 18 years with my son at home to influence him and point him to the gospel. I want to take full advantage of every opportunity to weave in the grand news of God’s offer of salvation.
How might I do that? Here’s where my plan starts (I’ll be using the RSS feed). What’s your plan for answering the spiritual questions your children will (or are) going to ask in 2009?
