Your Family’s Forward Progress

By David Faust

It doesn’t make sense to do things backward. 

While driving on an interstate highway, you don’t put the car in reverse gear. When you read a novel, you don’t start at the back of the book. When a baseball player gets a hit, he doesn’t run to third base. It’s fun to eat dessert first, but most of us start with the salad and end with the ice cream instead of the other way around. 

Why do things backward when it comes to matters of faith? I have known young people who reason, “Someday when I’m old, I’ll pursue a relationship with God. For now, I just want to have a good time.” But that’s backward. The Bible says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1, New International Version).  

I have heard people say, “I can’t be a Christian after all the bad stuff I’ve done.” But that’s backward. If you have done “bad stuff,” you meet a key qualification for church membership. The church isn’t a fraternity of the flawless; it’s a fellowship of the forgiven—a collection of imperfect people serving a perfect Lord. 

Others insist, “This is my opinion no matter what,” and if the Bible disagrees, they stick with their own ideas. But the right approach is to let the Scriptures shape our opinions instead of the other way around. 

Forward-Looking Faith 

Jesus says to take up your cross and follow him, and following implies forward progress. 

In football, when a ball-carrier runs into a pile of tacklers, they often push him backward where he lands a yard or two behind where he originally advanced the ball. Usually the referees award the runner the yardage he gained with his forward progress. 

Every inch of ground matters in football, and it matters even more in your home. Psalms 127 and 128 present a positive outlook for married couples, parents, and grandparents by reminding us: 

• “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). 
• “Children are a heritage from the Lord” (127:3). 
• “Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth” (127:4). 
• “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table” (128:3). 
• “May you live to see your children’s children” (128:6). 

Forward-Looking Families 

What does it imply if we view members of the next generation as “arrows in the hands of a warrior”? 

• We who are older must be careful how we lead our kids, for arrows have sharp edges that wound and hurt if mishandled.  
• We should be goal-oriented and intentional, for arrows must be carefully aimed and launched toward a target. 
• We have to relinquish control, for arrows are meant to be released. 
• Arrows are instruments of warfare, so we must prepare the next generation to face spiritual battles.  

These steps are easier said than done, for Satan does everything he can to tear apart marriages, divide and disrupt families, and confuse our children and grandchildren. 

If you are a parent, do you sometimes feel like you’re carrying the ball, but you keep running into a solid line of tacklers? Are you growing weary from the demands of caring for preschoolers? Are the ups and downs of dealing with adolescents wearing you out? Are you trying to set a good example for your adult sons and daughters, but their decisions break your heart?  

The God of grace is pulling for you, and he sees your family’s forward progress. Do your best, and remember that despite all the difficulties, raising up the next generation remains one of the world’s most important tasks. The Lord will keep you moving forward—even if you only gain a few inches at a time.  

This is the fourth in a series of articles based on selected verses from the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134). 

David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91^st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Married for Good.