Four Life Truths
On Sunday morning, May 24, I mentioned four life truths every parent and grandparent should teach their children and grandchildren. Since these life-truths were only mentioned in passing during the sermon, several people have asked me to elaborate further. I hope you find these “further explanations” helpful.

Life Truth #1: Life is difficult.
While some have more difficult lives than others, no one has an easy life. Not everyone has the same amount of physical pain, but all people deal with some physical pain, insecurities, fear of rejection, occasionally being misunderstood, and facing their own immorality. If you think you are the only one who is having a difficult life, you will engage in self-pity and approach life like a victim. Also, you will resent others as you will idealize their lives and engage in self-pity over your circumstances. Evil and suffering are part of a fallen world, and we should not be surprised that life is difficult. Our Christian faith does not exempt us from the harsh realities of life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us some comforting truths, but you could never label this sermon a “love God and feel good” motivational talk. In addition to the wonderful promises Jesus gave, there were many reminders that in life, stuff happens.

Life Truth #2: God is good.
The Bible does not argue for the existence of God. Instead, the Bible seeks to explain and reveal God’s character. Everything God does is the result of God’s love. Even the wrath of God is the result of the love of God. Parents become angry when someone harms or misleads their children because they love their children. God, the perfect heavenly Father, loves more authentically than even our parents do. So, we should not be surprised that a God who loves is capable of wrath. Acknowledging that God is good at all times and in all circumstances is not to suggest that we will always like what God is doing. Again using the parent analogy, often children do not like the actions of their parents even when the parents are doing what is best. Our desires for our lives are frequently counterproductive to what we need. God desires better for us than we desire for ourselves.

One of the more common mistakes is thinking that life is good and God is difficult. If this is our thought pattern, we will try to pursue “the good life” and end up bitter and cynical about the life we have and assume God is against us.

Life Truth #3: People will disappoint us, and we will disappoint ourselves.
No one will meet all of our expectations, not even we ourselves. Some days we will look at the people who love us most and ask, “How can they do that to us or say that about us?” Then, on other occasions, we will look into the mirror of our soul and ask, “Why did I do that?” The answer to both questions is: because we are sinners. We don’t live in the Garden of Eden but all of us do take bites out of the Eden apple. Don’t give up on faith, God, or life just because you or someone else lets you down. It is just confirmation that truth revealed in Scripture is true. Romans 3:23 is not just a verse to use when you are inviting others to become believers, it applies to us all. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” not only describes those non-believers on the mission field but also Christians who reside in the Bible Belt.

Life truth #4: You can recover.
Redemption and recovery are possible. Recovery is not the result of our determination, discipline and drive. We can recover because of what Jesus did on the cross and what the person and power of the Holy Spirit does within. Accepting grace is the road to recovery, and it will lead us to the path of disciplined living. To recover does not mean life goes back to the way it used be, but that our walk with God can always be better than it has been. Note this truth is an implied conditional promise. The operative word is “can.” Some people do not recover because they either refuse to cooperate with God as revealed in Jesus, the Christ, or they try to recover on their own terms.

The miracle of recovery is found in the paradox of surrender. Attempting to make up or compensate for our mistakes is like trying to “unring” a bell. It can’t be done. Attempts to make up for our mistakes with a flurry of good causes us to make more mistakes and is just another form of cover-up. Surrendering to God is not passively waiting for God to fix your life, but aggressively accepting His grace and forgiveness and fully engaging in the new way of living He offers you.

By teaching your children and grandchildren these truths, you will not only protect them from carrying the burden of disillusionment but also help them heal when they are hurting, hope when they are despairing, and get up when they have fallen.