The One Thing
Last week I wrote about some distressing trends among young adults and parents in the church. The goal of these particular lessons is very straightforward. As parents, all of us need to take a close look at the influences instilled on our children. We have a short time with our children. Last Sunday we had our baccalaureate service and celebrated the accomplishments of ten graduates. Even though time seemed to go by so fast for these parents, the truth is that the influence potential of the parents, from this point forward, is limited.
This does not mean that parents do not matter. Far from it. Our children still need us for many things and hopefully the relationship that was built by these families continues into adulthood. But, much of how these graduates see the world is already established. How they view God, either positively, negatively, or even indifferently, is firmly entrenched. This is not to say that adults never turn to Jesus after knowing nothing of Him in their childhood. Rather, I want us to think about this from a second-generation Christian perspective. These children grew up with the idea of “God” all around them. What impression are we leaving our children?
Gary Keller wrote a book called The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. The book, as promised, portrays very simple concepts. The main idea is to be focused. The question that frames the book is this: “What is the ONE thing you can do this week such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?” He illustrates this idea with a simple proverb: “If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one.”
I think about this idea often as a parent, and I hope you will as well. What is the one thing that must be done for my children in order to accomplish what I desire the most for them? For Rachel and I, our goal is for our children to know Jesus – period. Everything else comes after this one thing. That doesn’t mean that other issues receive no attention. Rather, it means that they have their proper place. It means that this one thing affects the way that we view and teach all other things.
Keller suggested three concepts necessary for success within the theoretical framework of the one thing. They are Purpose, Priority, and Productivity. Allow me to demonstrate this the context of God’s One Thing – to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. How does our purpose in life accomplish this goal? Do our priorities move us closer or further away from this purpose? With the right purpose and priorities, we will be productive toward our goal. Consider the following words from Peter.
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins” (2 Peter 1.3-9).
Do you see the concepts of purpose, priorities, and productivity in the above texts? Is your one thing the same as God’s? Are you willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to align with God’s desire? We have a small window of influence as parents. Let’s use it wisely.