Roping Religion: Choices matter - especially with children

Many of the ideas and scriptures for this article are from the devotional “God Wants You To Win!” by world champion calf roper Jeff Copenhaver.

One day Jeff felt the Holy Spirit speak to his heart “some choices we make in life are better than others.” I am pretty sure most of us can identify with that statement. I remember as a teenager going hunting with my friends and getting some mud stuck in the barrel of my shotgun. A short time after that incident I went trap shooting and felt the gun kick a little bit more than usual. I examined the barrel and the last three inches including the ventilated rib bowed to the right. My friend sawed off the barrel for me but the shotgun was never the same. I was fortunate that I never had any injuries and that things can be replaced.

Sometimes our choices have much worse and long-lasting consequences.

Some people’s choices lead them to a jail cell and perhaps a felony record. They find that some employer’s are not interested in hiring someone with a felony. God can certainly forgive our sins and separate our sins from us as far as the east is from the west but society may not always be as forgiving.

My dad used to say, “Desperate men do desperate things.” Rather than trust God when in tight situations some folks choose to take short cuts and not allow the Holy Spirit to work in their lives. God is never late but He is often not early either. It takes faith to do the next right thing. There is definitely a cost to being a disciple of Jesus. We can be thankful for the mercy that God has shown us. We can also be appreciative when He gives us wisdom to avoid making poor decisions. He guides us and protects us. God gives us wisdom, favor, and direction as we ask Him, thank Him, trust Him, and acknowledge Him.

These gifts of grace and mercy are not just for us however. We have been blessed to be a blessing. We can take what we have learned and pass it on to the next generation.

Children are a gift from God. Many in our society do hold that viewpoint, however. Our job is to train our children and put them on the right path. That is a difficult job. We are to feed, lead, and protect them. This is impossible without the help of the Holy Spirit.

One of my first bosses instructed me to teach my kids to work and to think. Another friend added, “Teach them to believe in the Lord.” I think these words are good advice for parents who wish to give their children an opportunity to position themselves to be blessed.

It would be great if each child came with his or her own set of instructions for raising them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Unfortunately that is not the case. Each of us is fearfully and wonderfully made. We are unique. God has a good plan and future for each of our children. Our job is to seek the Lord and find out how to best encourage that child or grandchild in the direction that the Lord would lead them.

When our children and grandchildren face a setback we need to encourage them to learn whatever lessons they can learn from the situation and then get back in the arena of life. Life is a competition. We compete for favor, jobs, spouses, places to live, promotions, and many other things. Our children are probably going to experience disappointment and loss just like we have. During those sad times we may want to remind them that though a righteous man falls seven times the Lord God picks him up each time.

May we be those who give our children and grandchildren a hand up and the encouragement to continue to fight the good fight.

May God bless you big.

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This is the 13th in a series of columns by Kevin Barsotti, pastor of Ark Church in Havre.