Anyone who is a parent knows about the joys and heartaches that come from raising children. We all naturally want our children to follow in our footsteps, obey willingly, have honor and respect with others, and (most importantly) to follow the Lord throughout their lives. When they do these things, it gives us as parents a joy on the inside that is unlike any other. Why is this? You are are invested in who your child becomes. Most of your life has been spent raising your children. You have spent years training and disciplining them. You have tried to demonstrate God’s truth to them by how you have lived and have prayed for them since before they were born. Therefore, you are intrinsically tied to those you raise.
Conversely, when your child goes off course and makes bad decisions in life, you are grieved. This is not just because it is dishonoring to you or to the Lord, but because your investment in them has not yielded any fruit. It can surely be said that our children can give us the greatest joys as well as the deepest sadness.
As young children, we don’t understand the investment that our parents are putting into us. When we become young adults, we often feel like we are finally free from the encumbrances that our parents have placed upon us. We want to spread our wings, make our own decisions, and choose our own path. Yes, you know that the Lord is aware of all the choices you make in life, but you often forget how your choices affect your parents as well.
This tie between parent and child is also true spiritually. The Apostle John writes about his love for Gaius, a man who apparently had been led to the Lord by John. Just like a natural parent to their child, John wanted Gaius to “prosper and be in health” (v.2). In the same way, John rejoices in the fact that Gaius has a good testimony for the Lord and that his conduct and choices in life are demonstrating his faith to others. For John, there was “no greater joy” than the testimony of faith from one of his spiritual children.
As a pastor, I can personally identify with this sentiment even though I can't claim all of our church family as my spiritual “children”. Most of them were led to the Lord by others. However, I can tell you that there is that same connection that comes from my investment in their lives as a spiritual shepherd. We recently had ten people follow the Lord in believer’s baptism. This was not due to my prodding or pushing or preaching to them about their need to obey the Lord in this area. Rather, God worked in each of their hearts through different circumstances and people. When they responded to the Lord's direction of their own accord, their decisions gave me great joy to see “my” people follow the Lord in this way. In the same way, when I see others fall away from church attendance, making sinful choices in their lives, or having a testimony that doesn’t honor the Lord – I am grieved by it.
What is the point of all of this? Not everyone will be a Pastor or a parent. For those of us who are, we must let our offspring make their decisions and entrust them to the Lord. However, each of us are children. We all have physical parents and if you have been born again, you have a spiritual parent or Pastor as well. Perhaps you should be more aware of how your conduct and choices in life affects more than just you. People all around you are watching and testifying about who you are and what you have become. This testimony of your walk with the Lord will either bring great joy or deep sorrow to those who have invested their lives into raising you up. Don’t let your mindset ever deceive you into thinking that your choices only affect just you. Of course, you should want to please the Lord first – as He knows all that is in your heart. But maybe the next time you are tempted to make the wrong choice, think about whether you actions will bring joy to someone that will “hear that my children walk in truth”.