By Rick Popejoy
In a recent Wall Street Journal article (Sat, Apr 28, 2012), author Charles Wheelan wrote about “10 Things Your Commencement Speaker Won’t Tell You.” These are adapted from a book, “10½ Things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said,” by Charles Wheelan, to be published May 7th by W.W. Norton & Co. Now, it’s not so much that I am recommending the book or the article because it takes a lot of weeding to get to the true gems found throughout. Nevertheless, at least one glaring point caught my eye (I may write about the other nine items later): Your parents don’t want what is best for you. Strange indeed! But I think Mr. Wheelan may be right in more ways that he intended.
Your parents don’t want what is best for you. They want what is good for you, which isn’t always the same thing. There is a natural instinct to protect our children from risk and discomfort, and therefore to urge safe choices. Theodore Roosevelt—soldier, explorer, president—once remarked, “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” Great quote, but I am willing to bet that Teddy’s mother wanted him to be a doctor or a lawyer.
Biblical love is a self-sacrificing, caring commitment that shows itself in seeking the highest good of, or the best for, the one loved. At its heart, biblical love is a commitment, and thus it may be commanded (Jho. 14:15). But it is not a commitment without feeling, but a caring commitment (Eph. 5:25). In other words, biblical love involves both delight and duty. Also, this caring commitment is not just an attitude, but an action: it shows itself in deeds (1 Jho. 3:18). Those deeds often require a supreme self-sacrifice, as seen in Jesus going to the cross (Jho. 3:16; 1 Jho. 3:16; 4:8-9). The goal of this commitment is the highest good of the one loved (2 Cor. 5:14-15), which is that the person be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29; 12:1-2). Thus biblical love allows for loving correction when needed (Heb. 12:6; Pro. 13:24). -Modified from Stephen J. Cole.
Parents, grandparents, love your children enough to seek their best interest and not just what is good for them. It may be good for them not to go through any pain or discomfort but is that really in their best interest? No pain – No gain is more than just a sports’ motto, it is life’s most demanding principle (Heb. 12:11; Jas. 1:2-4; 2 Cor. 4:17). The Book says, “without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb. 9:22) and “we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10) and “[y]e have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin” (Heb. 12:4). Children may not always appreciate or see the good in the long grueling hours of reading and studying the Bible in the home but it is in their best interest (2 Tim. 2:15; Acts 17:11). Children may not always see the good in faithfully attending the weekly Bible studies at church but it is in their best interest (Heb. 10:24-26; cf. Neh. 8:1-9).
Parents, grandparents, love your children enough to seek their best interest by setting a good example before them in this area (1 Tim. 4:12-13). It may not always be easy (i.e., good) to set down to read and study the Bible every day but it is in the best interest of your children and grandchildren that you do (Jos. 24:15; Jud. 2:10-15). It may not always be easy to set down to read and study the Bible with your children every day but it is in the best interest of your children and grandchildren to do just that (Deu. 6:6-15).
“The average American Bible class runs 24% under the attendance of the average church service.” Here in Lindsay we exceed that number – not a good thing! On average this past year we have run about 34% under the attendance of the average worship service. Listen, I realize that it isn’t always about the numbers. Nevertheless, if 50% of the teaching arm of the church is done in our Bible classes, and I believe that would be a fair estimate, then 34% of the church is losing out on 50% of the teaching. This cannot spell SUCCESS for the unity, affection and work of the church. Let us commit ourselves to greater personal and collective Bible study. Let us push the number of students attending Bible classes up and the 34% number down, down, down! And, one of the few times that you will hear me say this: let us be less than average in our attendance between our Bible classes and our worship!
May God help your parents want what is best for you even when you can’t see the good in it. May we always seek our best interest even when it’s not good for us. Getting involved in the local congregation is always in your best interest.
