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the World Mission Prayer League, wmpl.org.]  "Our family has a destiny," I declared. "We do?" questioned three generations of the Parker clan gathered for morning devotions in the retreat center. "Yes," I affirmed. "Mark, do you often suffer from delusions of grandeur?" joked Kent, the oldest son in the family. "Hear me out. Even though we Parkers aren't rich like the Rockefellers nor influential like the Kennedys, we have a destiny. I've asked Mom and Dad to read the Bible passage in which God first promised us this." Happy 40th Mom and Dad were the reason for the family retreat. A multi-colored banner announced, "Happy 40th Wedding Anniversary." Beneath it a table displayed mementos of four decades shared together. Central to the display stood a photo of a cheerful, young couple casually holding hands at the USO center in Sioux City, Iowa where they had met during the Korean War. Holding hands just as comfortably today, they read together:
"I can relate to these words," Dad observed. "Forty years ago, I left my folks in Massachusetts to marry my `Sioux City Sue' and settle here in South Dakota." He proudly kissed his bride. Then Mom added, "God promised to make Abraham and Sarah a great nation. The Parkers aren't great, but we are numerous. Among my greatest blessings I count eight children, their eight wonderful spouses, and twenty dear grandchildren. But tell me, Mark, what is this family destiny you're talking about?" "I thought you'd never ask," I said. "Although this promise was addressed to Abraham about four thousand years ago, it applies to us also, because Abraham is our father in the faith. His family's destiny is this: `You will be a blessing....and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.' The Hebrew word for `peoples' actually means large families and clans. Therefore, the reason why our Parker family exists is to bring the blessings of God to all the families on the face of the earth. This is the destiny God has given us and all Christian families." Faithful Afar "Wow!" said Dad. "That's a tall order for an ordinary family like us." "It is," I agreed. "But I think the Parkers have been pretty faithful to the destiny God gave them." "We have?" "I can prove it, Dad. Let's all brainstorm a minute about the different peoples and places that our family has touched. For starters, as you know, Jill and I spent six years as missionaries in Venezuela. Since coming home, we both have written books on missions." After a moment of hesitation, others volunteered examples. "Gwen spent three years in Russia teaching English. The friendships she made with students gave her opportunities to tell them how much Christ loves them. Several people were saved." "Dave, who had the wisdom to marry into our tribe, grew up in Japan as a missionary kid. Today, as a professor at a Christian college, he's influencing both international and North American students who will be serving God in many nations." "When Pete served a tour of duty in Somalia, he saw the spiritual need of Muslims. Ever since then he's been supporting mission work in North Africa." "And let's not forget Rachel and Benjamin in Syria. When she met him in college and they surprised us by eloping, we thought it was a disaster. But after twelve years, she is still God's woman in Syria, faithfully serving her husband, family, and community." Faithful Nearby "I feel uncomfortable," said Mom. "Sure, some of you have ventured to distant lands, but others just stayed put. And, well, talking about it makes me feel guilty." "Mom," interjected daughter Gwen, "the word missionary means `sent one.' Sent ones can't go without senders who encourage and pray for them. Perhaps the most important senders are Christian parents. Your prayers and letters sustained me during my years in Russia. But your role as senders began long before that. Throughout our childhood, you and Dad--who stayed put--were preparing us to be sent." "How?" "By regular family devotions. By praying for missionaries and for lost people in our own neighborhood. Because you appreciated people who were different from you, you taught us that racial prejudice displeases God. You encouraged us to have foreign pen pals. And I'll never forget the mission stories you read to us. They instilled in me the desire to be a missionary someday." "I guess I never realized," said Mom, "that all those little things would add up to so much." "In addition," piped up Kent, who had been silent since accusing me of delusions of grandeur, "we who have never gone overseas are also busy blessing other families right here at home. Jan and I helped resettle the Nguyen family. Their kids and ours became friends. Now, fifteen years later, two of the Nguyens have returned to Vietnam to plant churches." Kent continued excitedly, like a thunderhead in the brainstorm, "Joe and Sally, you lead your church's youth group, which to some adults is a foreign culture." Nodding at two baseball-capped grandsons, Kent added "Speaking of teens, Craig and Josh here help serve meals at a homeless shelter in Chicago. "Rob and Wendy, you've worked all your lives in Christian education and music, touching not only the Anglo culture out there in California, but people from many corners of the world. "Dad, you regularly visit the elderly in local nursing homes. And, Mom, you've no reason to feel guilty. Remember all those years you proclaimed Christ in your Sunday school class for mentally challenged people?" Every example Kent cited towered like another layer added to a majestic wedding anniversary cake. A Promise to Families "Uncle Mark, we did great stuff, but aren't we kind of bragging?" asked nine-year-old Ellen, furrowing her brow. The room bubbled with embarrassed laughter. "Thanks for the warning, Ellen," I responded. "I hope that instead of bragging we're humbly boasting about God." "How do you boast humbly?" "I know it sounds funny, but think about it. God does great stuff! First, he gives us a family destiny. Then, he leads and empowers us to fulfill it. We're just an average family from an insignificant hometown. Only the Lord could use the likes of us to bless hundreds of other families on several continents." Except for the soft jabbering of youngest grandchild Evan, the whole clan fell silent for a moment. Then Dad cleared his throat to speak. But no words came, only tears silently running down his cheeks. In spite of his gruff, bass voice, sensitive Dad had always been "Most Likely to Weep" whenever the family discussed spiritual truths. Everyone waited patiently for him to dry his eyes and compose himself. "I just recognized something amazing in Genesis 12," he said, "something I'd never caught before. We tend to emphasize God's plan to bring His Good News to all nations as a command to us. Sometimes the command feels like a heavy burden. But the words which speak of our family destiny are not a command at all. They're a promise. Listen to them: `You will be a blessing.... and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.' God isn't ordering us, `You Parkers, you better be a blessing now, you hear?' No, the Lord is assuring us, "I promise to make you a blessing to the families of the earth." "What a marvelous outreach promise!" Mom agreed. "You know what we should to do with God's promises, don't you? Believe them! And then act upon them with confidence and courage, because his promises are sure to come true." As she had done with a thousand desserts, Mom had placed the cherry on the top of the cake. The faces of three generations registered fascination at the promises of God. "Let me wrap up this morning devotion with a prayer," I offered. "Dear Father, thank you for making us part of Abraham's family through the saving work of your Son Jesus. As part of your global family you have given us a destiny: to bless all the families of the world who do not yet know of your love. Mercifully, you call us to do our one-family-sized job, and that is enough. Then you also call the Yangs, the Garcias, the Petrovs, and all other clans who call you Father to play their one-family-sized roles. We praise you that the Holy Spirit coordinates all our meager efforts into one majestic enterprise, until the Great Commission is completed, until your mission promise is reality, and our family destiny is fulfilled. And all God's people said, `Wow!'" Putting Your Family Destiny into Action
Children's Books to Fuel Your Family Destiny
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