“The Father is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”  Matt. 18:14

I’ve often said that one of my heroes of the faith is a man named Caleb–a man willing to risk it all because he believed God. I love how he responds to Joshua concerning his portion of the inheritance God has promised to him 40 years earlier.

“So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong todays as the day Moses sent me out: I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as He said (Joshua 14:11-12).”

Caleb stands in stark contrast to the hordes of ‘retirees’ today living in age-segregated communities author Andrew Blechman labels Leisureville. In places like The Villages and Sun City communities, Blechman notes that “for the most part, people who retire to age-segregated communities have already jettisoned their obligations to the community they left behind—the one that invested in their future many years ago.” In other words, unlike Caleb who was ready to do battle even in his later years, many of our generation have chosen to sit on the sidelines and be served, rather than serve and fight so another generation can benefit.

Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep is a picture of the Father’s heart for the lost that ought to reflect our hearts too. But notice in this parable who the sheep are. They are children—His little ones. In fact, Jesus encapsulates this parable with parallel bookend statements about the Father’s heart for children to emphasize the point.

On one end is Jesus’ warning not to look down on the children because “their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”  On the other side is the specific reference to the Father’s determination that none “of these little ones should be lost.” In this context, our Lord’s passion for and high value given to children is obvious—as is the implication for us.

We have one life to live and invest for God’s glory and His purpose. Retirement is not part of that purpose. High on the priority list of God’s purpose is ensuring that the next generations do not perish, but that they know the truth and have been taught to walk in it. That means we have a responsibility to tell them and disciple them, not just our grandchildren, but children in our churches and neighborhoods that God places in our sphere of influence.

In Leisurevilles around this country everything is designed to exclude children—the ones most precious to our Father. If we fail to intentionally embrace the Father’s heart for our children, we effectively surrender them to the Enemy who will destroy them for all eternity. The consequences for them and for us are not inconsequential.

I must admit that I am increasingly impatient with adults of my generation and beyond who choose to spend their lives and assets on themselves while investing almost nothing of themselves in the lives of the next generations.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying some much deserved rest and relaxation.  Rest and relaxation is important, but not as a way of life. 

There is nothing right about wasting our lives on frivolous lifestyles while totally ignoring our responsibility to use every asset God has given us to make sure none of these little ones perish.

What are you willing to risk for your grandchildren and their generation?  How will you answer the Master when He asks you to give account for all the assets He entrusted to you to use in these later years for their sake? Would you dare tell Him that you had already done your time and these last years were for yourself?

GRANDPAUSE: All our activity is sowing; and so is our inactivity. 
–John Blanchard