A few weeks ago, I had the great privilege to attend the Desiring God Pastors Conference, where the topic was on “God, Manhood & Ministry”. While every session challenged me in various ways as a father, a husband, and a man, one of the greatest was a session by Crawford Loritts on “Lessons Learned from His Father”. (You can watch the full video or download the audio here.)
One of the most powerful quotes that he expressed was this:
“All we have to give to the next generation is who we are.”
What? Aren’t we supposed to save up to leave them a financial inheritance? Aren’t we supposed to build a nice house to leave them an estate? Aren’t we supposed to meet their physical needs with loads of material possessions?
Perhaps so. But the greater issue is the passing on of who we are as a person — our character, integrity, faith.
If I meet my child’s physical needs but don’t teach them about their spiritual needs, have I done them well?
If I pass on a million dollar inheritance but my kids don’t know how to wisely steward or give generously, have I done well?
If I give them material things and all the earthly desires of their heart, but am never around to experience daily life together, have I done well?
As a father, one of my goals is to do well by passing on a legacy of faith and character. To do that, I need to be present in my kids lives and focus on the things that matter most in this regard. But equally important is my own need as a man to focus on building my own faith and character for I cannot pass on something that I don’t have.
Striving Father 