A Parent's Faith: Are you too Rich to pass it on?

Tonight, as my kids were watching a VeggieTales movie, I was in another room thinking and planning my family's future. Because we're in the middle of transition and are planning to move within the next several months, I've been working through a list of things to think about and strategize on. It's a move of faith, choosing to step out of our comfort zones, and I want my kids to be part of it. In my mind I'm convinced that God is glad I'm thinking about questions like how to make sure my children participate in the missional activities of my family. Jesus calls us to love God with everything, including our minds, and so tonight, as my kids were watching TV, I was doing the kind of thinking that demonstrates love and faith.

Stopped in My Tracks

Then a thought hit me that stopped me in my tracks. Follow me, if you will. It takes three steps to get there.

My wife and I are both pretty smart. (I don't know where you land on IQ tests, if they're culturally-biased, useful or any of that. So let's just assume that an IQ test is just one way to think about intelligence.) Both of us have tested in the gifted range ever since we were young - even before we met. After marrying each other, we had kids. Our kids are all pretty smart. They do well in school and are quite intelligent. (I don't know where you land on correlation, if genetics matters, or any of that - but that's Step One.)

Step two is even more commonly known. In today's society, intelligence often has a correlation to earning potential. And income often has a correlation to wealth. I'm simplifying the discussion here, though I admit I'm a technologist who happens to be able to run businesses well, works hard, and has been able to provide a pretty good lifestyle for my family. (I don't know where you land on what role luck, hard work, intelligence, or blessings play in success - but that's Step Two.)

Step Three: My kids, like their parents before them, are smart. And if intelligence plays any role in earning potential or development of wealth, then it's possible that my kids will do well financially. And if that's the case, and they pass any of those traits down to their kids, my grandkids may do ok financially too.

The Question that Hit Me

What I was left with tonight was a bit of a brain teaser: Is it possible that it will be harder for my kids to have faith because of what they (and their kids) may have?

Let me be clear - it's one thing to have financial abundance and still have great faith. I know it because the guy in my life who has the strongest faith also has the most wealth. I've seen him walking down the street when someone asks him to help out with a need and without blinking, he hands them $300. I've seen him pray for wisdom and work hard to be a great steward of what God has given him. His faith inspires me - and he's rich.

How the Rich are Different

But the thing that separates my friend from how many rich people act is that he's not relying or trusting on his wealth. For most, money is a powerful force that promises safety, security and comfort. It's why we have insurance, and savings accounts, and investment strategies. We're planning on wealth as a way to handle future needs.

So what happens when our kids are living in a financial safety zone such that there is never a reason to step out in faith? What will happen if they have enough disposable income to never have to pray over how to deal with their spending? Will they ever need God?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not really suggesting that people need poverty to produce faith. But I am asking myself if I (or my wife and I) will be modeling, or have been modeling, a life that causes our children to see faith in action.

How to Combat the Pull of Wealth

Here are four things that hit me tonight that we should do as parents:

1. We ought to be part of a faith community. Not just sit in service on a Sunday, but participate in a small group where life happens.
2. We ought to be part of something that is beyond what we can manage with our own two hands and wallets. Whether this is in our faith community, or within our neighborhood or marketplace, we should be doing things that only God can accomplish.
3. We ought to regularly share with our children the things that we're trusting God for. We should talk about money. We should talk about faith. We should talk about our dreams, our desires, our longings and what we're trusting God for. And we should share when and how God answers.
4. We ought to generously give. Not the normal tithe. More than that. To people who we see in need. To organizations that are making a dent in the world. And we should let our children see us give.

What do you think? Will you join us?