I always feel sad and disappointed each time I see children of preachers of the gospel going astray or chasing after worldly vanity while their parents are busy doing great exploits in the kingdom of God. I have never stopped wondering why this anomaly seems to be so rampant. A school of thought even postulates that it may be the price these God’s generals must pay for the spiritual damages they constantly inflict on the kingdom of darkness – but I know the GOD we serve, he won’t require such wicked sacrifices from anyone especially after himself has given up his only begotten son as the ultimate sacrifice for our victories. Thus, this worry has never left me. However, a few years ago I came across an article on a social media platform that got me thinking. It would eventually open me up to a whole new perspective and ultimately bring the answers I sought.
Do you know who Moses’ first son was? What about Joshua? Or even Caleb? I doubt if you know at all or can easily remember. Gershom was the first son of Moses, but not much was written about him despite his father’s exploits – so much was Moses’s impact in framing what would become the kingdom of GOD today that the entire first five books of the bible are credited to him; yet Gershom remained an obscure figure. This is as a result of one of the mistakes made by most great men and servants of God.
Most great men of God leave their children behind while they dedicate their entire lives training other men’s children. They unconsciously invest so much in their young associates who go about with them assisting with their personal needs. Little do such great men know, that while their children are at home or elsewhere engaging in less productive exercises, these young acquaintances of theirs that go around with them are constantly understudying them and learning the keys to success and greatness – consciously or otherwise. An African adage says after all that “you can’t sit near a fire and not feel the heat”.
This applies also to mothers who subscribe to the use of domestic help in running daily household chores while excluding their own biological children from lifting even a pin. It never occurs to these mothers that as these domestic assistants are made to execute every chore, they are actually getting highly empowered with the acquisition of home management skills while the young daughters of the home sit in the living rooms busy with their mobile devices, idling away watching TV programs or lazying about some other way. In the end, they would have succeeded in short-changing these young ladies to the detriment of the society at large.
I may not be totally correct but I would expect these juggernauts to know that it is extremely important to carry their children and wards along as they go about their work whenever possible. It has tremendous benefits. There is no understating this fact. It is true that these young men and ladies will also be heavily involved in building their own lives and careers but the importance of building a vibrant and solid spiritual foundation cannot be over emphasized – especially in the shaping of their destinies and guaranteeing a better tomorrow. Holidays and academic breaks shouldn’t all be about vacations and other less impactful exercises. While one is not outrightly condemning having a social life to unwind from time to time, a healthy balance must be struck and maintained. They must as a matter of urgency begin from a very tender age to understand the immense benefits of having a vibrant life of prayer and fasting. They must have a firsthand experience of all that surrounds the greatness their parents enjoy. One understands how choked the daily itenary of an average Man of GOD is but he must find time to groom his very own offspring. Creating time for family bible studies, counseling his household and engaging in private prayer sessions is non-negotiable. This is important so that he doesn’t end up like the story of an automobile mechanic whose car had developed a fault on his way to work earlier in the day but was busy all day fixing other people’s cars while it was day and by the time it was nightfall, he realized that he had not paid attention to his own faulty car thus, he became stranded.
The foregoing is the chief reason why many a great preacher’s wards end up becoming wayward, reckless and irresponsible. They know that they wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers who having been defeated will seek other ways of vengeance – in most cases via the lives of their wards. They end up grossly incapacitated to continue in the footsteps of their parents after their retirement or eventual demise. Moses left his children behind with his wife and father in law Jethro, while Joshua became his closest acquaintance, understudying Moses his master and learning by firsthand experience, all that Moses did. No wonder, Joshua became the next leader of Israel and succeeded massively. It is okay to always intercede for them but when they begin to come of age, they also must begin to learn to take responsibility. Our GOD expects us to be spiritually responsible.
Digressing a bit away from spiritual matters, the secular world too may want to borrow a leaf from this. Men and Women who have risen to become trail blazers in their respective fields of businesses ought to carry along their wards whenever possible. It is foolhardy being excessively hard on subordinates around you while pampering your own children. Taking a look around – especially in these climes – going back in history, one can count on the fingers of one hand, great businesses that survived their founders and have true generational continuity today.
While they enjoy the pleasures you provide, let them understand that life is not a bed of roses. They can take up positions as your Personal Assistants or take up other positions on your team. They must begin to understudy you and they must begin now. They must be treated the exact same way like every other member of the team and must not be shielded from responsibilities.
