As we were on our way to Chile, I read a book that talked a little about the power of setting future generations up to run from where we leave off without having to backtrack and relearn things that we should have instilled in them. When we arrived at Casa Esperanza I got to see that lived out.
Our host this month is a man named Daniel. He and his family live on the same property as the young women they are serving. They make their lives about investing in these girls to show them there is a different way to live so that when they have children, they can build their families on the love of Christ rather than perpetuating the cycle of abuse and abandonment that they experienced.
One Friday night we had a “No Talent Show.” Daniel could have gone to bed early after a long week to prepare for a busy Saturday morning in a house full of children there for free classes, devotion, and lunch. Instead, he gave the girls in the house and their friends the chance to showcase their talents. He helped some of the kids come up with their own acts so they could see that they have valuable gifts.
This is crucial to the Kingdom of God because God is a generational God. In the Old Testament, he identifies himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God made the covenant with Abraham, but he also renewed it with Isaac and Jacob, each in their own time.
God never intends for the promises he makes to us to end with us.
In Deuteronomy 4:9, Moses warns the people, “Only take care and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children…”
If I’m not diligent about recalling the things that I’ve seen this year, the ways I’ve seen the Lord move, the things he’s taught me, then I will forget. But I want to be diligent, like Moses warned, to share these things with others – my family and friends, my supporters, and one day, my children too.
Earlier on the Race, I read Hebrews. At the end of chapter 11, after describing the miracles that so many heroes and heroines of the Bible saw as a result of their faith, the last two verses (39-40), say this, “And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.”
Did you see that? Without us, future generations who have received the fulfillment of the promises these great men and women believed for, their faith would not be perfected.
Perhaps the promises God has made to you are bigger than just your lifetime. Maybe he wants to do something so big that it takes a commitment to sow into a future generation to see it fulfilled. What if he wants you to be willing to live beyond yourself in such a way that you can be faithful to obey and pray so that others are the ones who achieve the dream God put in your heart?
Psalm 71:18 says, “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”
This is my prayer, that I would be more concerned about proclaiming the Lord’s faithfulness to another generation that they might see bigger promises fulfilled than I can accomplish in my life.
I had the opportunity to see that this month. I got to see a ministry that has a huge heart for changing the future of a younger generation, and it is one of the most powerfully selfless things I’ve seen in a long time. It was an honor to be part of it, and I only pray that more of us have the vision to see beyond our lifetimes and sacrifice to invest in another generation to equip them to see God’s dreams fulfilled in their lives.
