Lead Them Wisely

“Lead Them Wisely”

By Zach Wood

Proverbs 22:6 NLT

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.

There’s a scene toward the end of the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) appears to have fallen off a cliff and plunge to his death below.  His father, Henry Jones (Sean Connery) goes to the end of the cliff and yells for his son.  After a few moments, he thinks Indiana Jones is dead and he pauses and says to his friend that is with them, “I’ve lost him, and I never taught him anything.  I just wasn’t ready.  5 minutes would have been enough.”

Lately I’ve been thinking about that scene and the words spoken there.  How often so much of us parents feel like we haven’t taught our children what we need to teach them.  We spend so many years doing things with them and the time goes by so fast.  I’m often wondering if I’m actually helping and teaching my kids Godly values and what it means to follow Him.  I’ve spent so many moments of being a father praying that I’m teaching my kids things that will help them become lovers of their Heavenly Father and the desire to follow Him. 

There are many moments I question whether or not I have been a good influence on them and given them precious teachable moments from how I live my life, through mistakes and right things done.  I have to admit I feel emotional even writing about this.  My girls are 11 and 9 and the years go by so very fast.  I never believed that when parents told me that before I was a parent.  But now, I realize the years just fly by.  I want to take advantage of every teaching opportunity God gives me to be an example for them to follow.  And, hopefully they will carry that walk of faith in making their own decision to follow Christ.

I want to direct my children in the right path.  I want them to develop a love for God that is greater than anything in their life.  I want them to have a relationship with Christ that fills them with joy and guides them.  All I can do is pray for them and that God will give my wife and I the direction we need to be the best examples of Christ we can be.  I don’t want to feel like Henry Jones in that I didn’t teach my girls anything because I didn’t take the time to do it.  I don’t want to feel like I’m not ready, but to be ready at any given moment to teach them and help lead them.  So often I do feel like this, but I am reminded that God is using me in many ways to teach them.

If you are reading this and you are a parent, I pray that you would take advantage of every opportunity to teach your child or children about God’s love for them.  Do your best and then trust in God to lead them for many years to come.  I’m learning to trust that He will use me to help guide them and that they will make wise decisions as they continue to live through future years.