The Weight of Our Choices
Read: Numbers 14:26–35
“How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? … You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die.” – Numbers 14:27, 29 NLT
As I was reading Numbers 14, I was struck by the severity of God’s response to the Israelites. It’s one of those passages that makes you stop and say, “I wouldn’t want God to say that to me.” The Israelites were in the wilderness, grumbling and disobeying, and God had had enough. Because of their complaints and lack of faith, He declared that everyone 20 years and older would die in the wilderness and never see the Promised Land.
What really hit me was that their children would also wander in the wilderness for 40 years — not because of anything they did, but because of their parents’ choices. That’s a heavy burden. Imagine carrying the weight of your parents' disobedience for four decades.
It made me think about my own family. We all want our kids to have more — to be better, stronger, and go further than we ever did. As a wise woman once said, “We want our ceiling to be their floor.” But how often do our own choices trip them up? How often do they suffer because of the things we allow, ignore, or mishandle in our own lives?
Thankfully, we’re not under the same covenant the Israelites were. Jesus came to fulfill the law, and through Him, we have grace and forgiveness. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). I’m so grateful for that grace, because I know I’ve messed up. There are so many things I would do differently as a parent if I could go back. (One of them? I’d get into therapy sooner to start healing and getting healthy.)
But here’s the hope: We still have today. We still have influence. And one of the greatest things we can do as parents is to consistently point our children to Jesus.
He is perfect; we are not. We’re going to have bad days, mess up, lose our temper, and sometimes fail to reflect Christ. But Jesus remains constant. He is loving, present, and faithful.
Take your kids to church, even if they resist. Encourage them to attend youth services and small groups. Create space for them to encounter the presence of God, because He can work in their hearts in ways we never could.
Pray over your children. Speak Scripture into their lives. Talk to them about your faith in real, honest ways. Don’t just lecture or correct. Extend grace, show forgiveness, and model what it looks like to follow Jesus in the highs and lows of life.
We may not be perfect, but we serve a perfect Savior. Let’s live in a way that helps our children walk into the Promised Land, not wander the wilderness we created.
Journal:
In what ways might my own struggles, habits, or choices be creating a "wilderness" for those I love?
What is one area of my life where I can invite God's grace to bring healing and transformation, not just for me, but for the generations after me?
“How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? … You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die.” – Numbers 14:27, 29 NLT
As I was reading Numbers 14, I was struck by the severity of God’s response to the Israelites. It’s one of those passages that makes you stop and say, “I wouldn’t want God to say that to me.” The Israelites were in the wilderness, grumbling and disobeying, and God had had enough. Because of their complaints and lack of faith, He declared that everyone 20 years and older would die in the wilderness and never see the Promised Land.
What really hit me was that their children would also wander in the wilderness for 40 years — not because of anything they did, but because of their parents’ choices. That’s a heavy burden. Imagine carrying the weight of your parents' disobedience for four decades.
It made me think about my own family. We all want our kids to have more — to be better, stronger, and go further than we ever did. As a wise woman once said, “We want our ceiling to be their floor.” But how often do our own choices trip them up? How often do they suffer because of the things we allow, ignore, or mishandle in our own lives?
Thankfully, we’re not under the same covenant the Israelites were. Jesus came to fulfill the law, and through Him, we have grace and forgiveness. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). I’m so grateful for that grace, because I know I’ve messed up. There are so many things I would do differently as a parent if I could go back. (One of them? I’d get into therapy sooner to start healing and getting healthy.)
But here’s the hope: We still have today. We still have influence. And one of the greatest things we can do as parents is to consistently point our children to Jesus.
He is perfect; we are not. We’re going to have bad days, mess up, lose our temper, and sometimes fail to reflect Christ. But Jesus remains constant. He is loving, present, and faithful.
Take your kids to church, even if they resist. Encourage them to attend youth services and small groups. Create space for them to encounter the presence of God, because He can work in their hearts in ways we never could.
Pray over your children. Speak Scripture into their lives. Talk to them about your faith in real, honest ways. Don’t just lecture or correct. Extend grace, show forgiveness, and model what it looks like to follow Jesus in the highs and lows of life.
We may not be perfect, but we serve a perfect Savior. Let’s live in a way that helps our children walk into the Promised Land, not wander the wilderness we created.
Journal:
In what ways might my own struggles, habits, or choices be creating a "wilderness" for those I love?
What is one area of my life where I can invite God's grace to bring healing and transformation, not just for me, but for the generations after me?
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