WHAT YOU LEAVE FOR YOUR CHILDREN versus WHAT YOU LEAVE IN YOUR CHILDREN

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In principle, everyone desires to grow up, marry and have children. 

 

It is a God-ordained practice that we see manifesting right from the first couple; Adam and Eve, who begot many children including Cain, Abel and Seth. Family is an important institution of life and should be managed well for it to grow and diversify in knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

Many times parents grow anxious on what will happen to their families in future when God has taken them out of this physical world. How will they survive? Are they able to maintain family unity and peace? Will they marry and settle down? What investments should I do for them now? Will they start their own businesses to sustain their lives? Those at school, will they finish off well? If they do, which courses will they pursue? These are some of the most pressing questions that run through the minds of genuine and caring parents as they endeavour to prepare their families for continuity after them.

However; while all the hard-hitting questions should be addressed adequately by every responsible parent; the real issue lies on the understanding that what you leave in your children is much more important than what you leave for them. Understanding this reality will change the dynamics of managing one’s family.

We get a practical glimpse of this reality through the life of Jesus Christ and his disciples, who later on became the founding Apostles of the Christian faith. Jesus, after finishing his earthly assignment; ascended back to heaven (Luke 24:51). He never really left physical assets for his disciples to enjoy. He left them with power, authority and the word of God. The disciples used those ‘intangible assets’ to grow into powerful Apostles who were able to turn the entire world up-side-down, through preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation of mankind. Since that time the world has never been the same again!

We have witnessed the same in our current earthly lives. Children who are well-groomed to understand the dynamics of life, have gone on to shine like beacons. Even if their parents left them with very little physical assets, somehow they manage to turn-around their fortunes and even grew into serious superstars. On the other hand, we have also witnessed some badly-trained children destroying millions of assets and fortunes that their parents worked so hard to establish in life! Some have ended up dying painful deaths as a result of inappropriate grooming!

In conclusion; while the best scenario will be to leave one’s family with both material resources and proper grooming; but in cases where resources are limited, it is advisable to “teach your children how to catch their fish” so that with or without resources, they will still work for themselves in a plausible manner and make it well in life. REMEMBER: what you leave in your children is much more important than what you leave for them.

Let’s all strive to leave the best in and for our children.

Tapiwa Zuze

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