Marc Estes

I just received a call from my youngest daughter Elisa, “It’s a girl!” I was so excited and got choked up knowing that I will get my first grand-daughter (yahoo!). I have three grandsons who I love with all my heart, but it is cool that we get to add a little princess to the family as well. Wow, life comes at you fast. It seems like yesterday that I was raising two little girls and trying to teach them how to jump rope. Now, just a few short years later and alot less hair (don’t laugh now), I am looking back on some life lessons and realizing that how I did as a parent is really not measured in how my kids did, but how my grandkids are doing.

It is one thing to raise kids to love God. It is another thing to raise kids that grow up and love God and pass that love on to the next generation. Everyone of us should set our sites on reproducing everything we get from God so that it will not only be received by someone, but that it will be contagious enough that it is passed on to the next generation.

Paul told Timothy, “Find faithful men and teach them, to in turn do likewise.” He was saying make sure that you pass it forward not just ‘to’ someone, but ‘through’ someone. What this world needs now is young people that are passionate about passing God’s values and principles to others that will pass it on to others. It is not good enough for us to just receive something and then hold onto for ourselves, but that we pass it on so that others may become all God wants them to become as well.

Can I ask you a REAL question? Do you have any spiritual grandchildren? Do they reflect the principles of God that you passed down? I don’t believe you can really be truly successful in your Christian walk UNTIL you have spiritual grandchildren (OUCH!). Can I ask another question and this one might be a little tougher to swallow. Why are you even here on planet earth? It is to know him and make him known…period. Can I challenge you to make some adjustments in your world to be one that passes on God’s purposes to others that will in turn pass it on the world. I double-dog dare you!