Let me remind you that we always have “hope” if we put the Lord first in our lives. He is our redeemer, our protector, provider, healer, and refuge during every time of trial and tribulation. We are living in turbulent and often confusing times. The Founders of this nation knew that when man turns from principled living and the rule of law that lawlessness would be the result.

Each generation has been charged to instruct the next generation in the knowledge of God and His word and all His wondrous works. [Deuteronomy 4:9-10 and Deuteronomy 11:18-28] The first generation of Americans were very intentional in teaching their children the Bible – it was how they learned to read. Through this instruction they too embraced truth, liberty, and legacy. Therefore, they taught their children to embrace knowledge, truth and wisdom.

Each of the generations for the first 300 years plus (from the Pilgrims/Puritans forward) believed themselves to be stepping stones for the next generation. They wanted their children to achieve more knowledge and obtain more in every area of their lives than they were able to achieve. This was the mentality of every generation until the 1940’s.

After World War II and the birth of the Baby Boomers, this generational thinking waned and was replace by an attitude of acquiring things and spending money without regard for the next generation. Because of this the time tested values of hard work, frugality, virtue, saving for a rainy day and family legacy diminished. As a result, the younger generation today are growing up feeling entitled to success without working hard and have not been taught the value of delayed gratification. They want and expect everything “now” believing they are entitled to live like mature successful adults when they are just starting out.

In the process of these changing values the leadership of the nation has changed into a very self-serving and power hungry group. This has resulted in a lack of long-range policy making strategies as each decision was made with the next election in mind. Therefore, only short-term solutions have prevailed; resulting in compounding the social problems, the breakdown of the family unit, financial meltdown, institutionalized poverty and dissolution of our Constitutional system.

The goal of generational thinking is that we intentionally pour into each generation all that we know about our history, our faith, the Bible, personal relationship with Jesus, morals and values so they are prepared to take these and run with them increasing in the knowledge of all these things and passing them on to their children to run with what they have learned. The end result is that each generation operates with greater revelation knowledge of God, wisdom, and creative ability that would benefit society as a whole.

Unfortunately, because of the lack of generational thinking, our children and grandchildren (for the most part) are having to start over and face a future less prepared and with less opportunity to pursue their dreams. It has been the responsibility of each generation to leave things better for the next so that when the time comes and we leave them in charge they can make wise decisions and make the nation better and freer.

The good news is that it is not too late for us to step up and pursue our responsibility by being intentional in how we teach and train our children and grandchildren so that when we say, “Tag, You’re it!”, they will go forth confidently equipped to promote truth, liberty and opportunity for all.

Dinner Table Discussion Question: What kind of legacy do we, as a family, want to leave?

Next Week: How to Achieve True Generational Thinking?