I am blessed to have wonderful Christian parents who selflessly invested all they are and all that they have into raising their children. My parents often took advantage of what is now called “teachable moments.”
A “teachable moment” is an event or experience that presents a good opportunity to learn something about a particular aspect of life. They regularly took the time to delve into day-to-day occurrences and dig out nuggets of Christian truth. This process taught us values, revealed Godly wisdom, and instilled Christian principles. I was recently reminded of one such lesson.
Our family of eight lived on a farm in rural Alabama. My parents, three brothers, two aunts, and I over-filled our VW Beetle. Seriously, we had eight people in that little “Bug”! We were driving home one warm summer afternoon when one of my brothers leaned forward to pose a question.
“Dad,” he began, “do we own the property on that side of the road, too?” He pointed to the heavily wooded tract of land just past the uneven farm-to-market road. We were well acquainted with our property lines on the “house side” of the road. They were roughly delineated by the barbed wire fencing that meandered through the fields and into the woods toward my grandparent’s house. The property on the “other side of the road” was a bit of a mystery. It was off-limits for summer fort building and games of hide-n-seek.
The trees that lined the property towered above us as the hot wind streamed through the rolled down windows and rushed across the warm, rosy cheeks of the crew on the loaded back seat. I caught a glimpse of Dad’s gaze in the rear-view mirror as he focused on the boy and the question.
“God owns everything, son, ” Dad stated softly. His eyes met my Momma’s as a sweet grin slipped across his face. “He allows us to manage some of His things, like that property, for a season. We “own” them for a while, but we are accountable to God for what we do with them. Always remember that everything belongs to God.”
Dad and Mom had a deed with their name on it, but they fully understood who truly owned not only that property but everything. Psalm 24:1-2
“The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”
They also understood the responsibility of God’s blessings and wanted to be sure to pass that knowledge along to us.
I wasn’t part of the conversation that day, just one of a load of towheaded kids in the back seat. I sure thought about it a lot though –that day and over the many years since. It made an indelible impression on my young heart—the temporary nature of life on earth, the eternal and awe-inspiring nature of our Lord. Yes, God created it all. He owns everything. Anything we possess is ours for a season. We are responsible for our stewardship over the blessings He bestows on us.
There are a couple of things I hope you glean from this story. First, all the material trappings that we strive so desperately to acquire are never “owned” at all. One day we will leave it all for someone else. Secondly, seize every opportunity to teach your children about the truths of God. I assure you, they will remember. My parents practiced Proverbs 22:6 each day of our young lives.
“Train up a child in the way he should go; when he is old he will not depart from it.”
I am so thankful for Christian parents who taught me about God and lead us in the way we should go.
God generously allows us to enjoy His creation. More importantly, He invites us to become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, adopted into His family. Our inheritance with Jesus is eternal, we really own it, and we own it forever.
Someday my parents’ names will not be on the deed to that tract of land across the road from their earthly home. Someone owned it before them; someone will own it after. For a season, God placed it (and my brothers and me) in their care and management. They have been good stewards of their blessings throughout the seasons of life.
I am blessed to continue to garner wisdom, knowledge, and receive love from my precious parents. I am confident God will be pleased with their stewardship of the things He “allowed them to manage for a time.” I pray that I can be as faithful with all that He has blessed me.
Charlene Miller
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#charlenemillerblogs
