Window on the World

A Word of Encouragement...
To the Missing Generation
of the WCG

About a year ago someone shared a letter that they had written to their adult children. I was deeply touched by the man’s words and heart, having children in the same age group. In addition to having a good message, the letter reminds us that mission is about overcoming obstacles that prevent people from coming to Christ. Our mission must include the “lost generation” of the WCG.

The letter speaks volumes, and if it helps one young person get additional spiritual traction, then it has been of value. The author granted me permission to publish his letter on the basis that he remains anonymous.

To my wonderful children:

Now that you have all departed the nest, Mom and I often reflect upon the journey, past and future, upon which each of you has embarked. I’ve decided that it is fitting that I share with you a gem of wisdom that may make a real difference in your life, as well as in the lives of your future children.

This is not an effort to “convert” any of you. Mom and I are quite secure in the assurance that you are in hands much more capable than ours. It is just that God has richly and abundantly blessed your mother and me. We want the same for you.

There was an event that stimulated me to write these things to you.... Here I am, plugged in to my Mp3 player, relaxing to some cool sounds ... and on comes Elton (John) singing a song I’ve always liked—but I’ve never really listened to the words. They are very touching. I find myself misty-eyed.

Elton is singing about a child that is not yet born.... He doesn’t know if the eyes will be green or blue—but he knows that the kid will be blessed. “I promise you that,” he sings over and over—“I promise you that. You’ll be blessed!”

I’m sure Elton means well, but how on earth can he promise something like that? It’s obviously not his prerogative, nor in his control. Yet he is singing something that every parent, and eventually every human being will yearn for—a blessed relationship with God—the only source of real blessing.

It has been my experience that some people already have what Elton wants for this yet-to-be-born child—a blessed life. No one can demand blessing; no one earns it, yet some do seem to live blessed lives more than others (by the way, the blessings we are talking about are by no means always material in nature).

Your grandpa and grandma are examples. God just reached down into their lives, for reasons known only to him, drew them to him, blessed them and began to guide them in a way that changed the course of their lives, my life and your lives forever. Along the way, God poured blessing after blessing out upon them. The whole extended family recognizes this to be true.

Grandpa and Grandma were part of a quite homogenous family structure. If you go to a family reunion you see that life-style pattern remains intact—most of the aunts, uncles and cousins are pretty much the same as they have always been. But everybody is quick to point out that Grandma and Grandpa (and you by extension) are different. Some say it has something to do with “that church.” But in fact they are acknowledging God, at least as it pertains to the good parts.

For whatever reason, God just took hold of Grandpa and Grandma and steered them in another direction and blessed them above measure. We, the offspring, live at a level of awareness, education and opportunity that is way above the norm of the extended family. I can testify that these things are not a result of the process of evolution! I clearly remember the difficult decisions Grandpa and Grandma made, decisions that propelled their lives in a very different direction from the relatives. It proved to be a path of blessing.

Now here’s where it comes down to you. Once God bestows the blessing of a closer walk with him, the precedent, both biblical and experiential, says that God wants that state of relationship and blessing to be permanent, and extend from generation to generation. We were all created to have an eternal relationship with God. Once that relationship begins, God wants it to continue.

Look at the Old Testament for instance, and notice that consistently when he entered into a relationship with a person, he wanted the children and grandchildren to be his as well. God loves to extend that blessing from generation to generation (see Exodus 20—second commandment).

Well, I just want you to know that you are there—already in that special relationship. Since you were born into this special relationship with God, and have never known anything different, it is easy for you to take that precious benefit for granted. I want you to remember that it didn’t begin with you, or even with Mom or me. But it is yours to embrace, if you will, or ignore until it goes away.

If there is exhortation to be given, it is that each generation needs to personally renew that special relationship with God through Jesus. I know that you are committed to Christ at one level, but you need to make what was your parents’ walk your own walk with God.

Each one of you was formally given to God when you were a tiny baby. We meant it. You were beneficiaries of a blessing-filled relationship as a result. Now, you need to make that relationship your own for the sake of your spouses and our next generation.

As Mom and I pray for you, we pray for the hundreds if not thousands of other young WCG offspring, many of whom are confused, somewhat turned off to “church,” and who are spiritually adrift. They seem to have lost sight of the value of a committed walk with God, and are instead protecting themselves from the possibility of experiencing more emotional pain.

Being in a committed relationship on the path of blessing does not mean that you will never suffer trials. In fact, hindsight will one day show you that some of your worst moments were an important blessing. But what is so excellent is that even during those times you will find a close presence of God. That is a blessing that many if not most in this world do not enjoy. You experience it because although full of imperfections, there came a point where Mom and I specifically asked God to bring us into relationship directly with him, and to allow us to be a continuation of the blessing he had bestowed on our parents.

Mom and I, and Grandpa and Grandma all agree that God has flooded you all with blessing, protection, healing, opportunities and material sufficiency—it is amazing and humbling. The fourth generation from Grandpa and Grandma—that would be your children and our grandchildren—will hopefully have the same relationship of blessing that we have lived under. That is the same relationship that Elton was so passionately hoping would be available to the offspring-to-be that inspired his song “Blessed.”

It will be the case in part because each of you will have chosen to approach the throne of grace and take responsibility for the relationship bestowed upon Grandpa and Grandma, passed down and accepted by Mom and me, which has poured over you in a torrent of blessing that defines your lives.

It is possible to choose not to accept that relationship with Christ, or to ignore it to a point where it eventually becomes a “no” answer. I’ll leave you with two pieces of advice that might help. First, I can remember the when, the where and the dorky immature manner in which I made it clear to God that I wanted to have an independent relationship with him.

I told him that I realized that what I had up to that point was an extension of my parents’ relationship with him, and that was not enough. What followed was a process that over time has defined my personal unique journey with God. He will bring you to your moment too. Don’t worry if it is not a perfect moment—just make it genuine.

That leads me to my second point. Part of your journey and that of many other young men and women of your WCG generation involved going through a period of ugliness, conflict and pain that is greater than anything Mom or I ever experienced in our youth.

I know that your generation values genuineness and considers relationship infinitely more valuable than institutions. I know there were many regrettable words and deeds that turned off many of your generation. They now drift, keeping in touch with each other, but unwilling to risk any more disillusionment or pain.

Mom and I see that they, and sometimes you, try to walk a path that is neither committed nor detached. We are concerned for you and others like you, and want to see a restoration of the joy and fulfillment that your generation once enjoyed as part of the WCG.

We are confident that Christ will draw these young folks to him in such a way as to heal the pain and make it possible to once again experience and appreciate the community of believers to which they were drawn, in spite of the flaws and imperfections. Each of you will have your own path to that point of commitment, or in some cases recommitment. My prayer is that each of you will recognize the time and the place when, with God’s patient guidance, you arrive there. I have confidence that you will.

Love,

Dad

Hit Counter