Excess Baggage

It’s just been a bit over two weeks since my husband’s brother and his wife (Obil and Osil in this post) arrived – and this morning we had to take them back to the airport.  No, that’s not a picture of their luggage – it was dark-thirty when we got to the airport as they opened.  Already lines of people were waiting to get through security screening, but the airline had a wheelchair ready for her journey to boarding.

The house is overly quiet now.  Before, there were many times we weren’t talking, but just their presence was a comfort.  This wasn’t a tourist trip, we spent many hours just talking.

One thing we discussed was a lack of knowledge being passed down from generation to generation.  Sometimes this is seen as excess baggage, but it really is important.

Another SiL from OKC was not aware of the full story of how the family was reunited.  When it was, she was going through a divorce, leaving her sole support of her two daughters.  She spent time with her ‘found’ brothers, accepted and enjoyed the reunion, but didn’t find time to ask questions as to how it came about.  She was fascinated to hear, and couldn’t think of why she hadn’t asked.

The children of Israel were the same way.  A generation failed to pass along what God had commanded:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:7 KJV)

Look in Judges to see how often a generation forgot to pass along their knowledge:  Judges 2:11, 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, 13:1.  They did not teach diligently unto their children.

Are we?  We leave it up to the schools to teach our children – do we check to see what is being taught?  We leave it up to the churches to teach our children – do we check to verify their doctrine?

Do we teach our own children our witness, beyond what they see in our actions and words (and, do we notice if our actions match our words?)

My husband’s aunts wrote of their father’s Christian faith, but they did not speak of theirs.  He wrote of his in his will:

January 21, 1932
To my dear family survivors; the greatest asset I can hand down to you is to commend you to the Lord Jesus Christ whom I have tried to serve from childhood. He is the only rock or foundation you can safely build or rely upon and you should love Him with all your Might.

His actions matched his words, but something was lost in the next generation as only about half of the children followed his example.

As with most important communications in the Bible, the admonition is repeated:

And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (Deuteronomy 11:19 KJV)

What are you telling the next generation about your beliefs? Or has it become excess baggage?

One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. (Psalms 145:4 KJV)