Premature Inheritance

An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning Will not be blessed at the end.
~ Proverbs 20:21 (ESV)

God’s ways are really intriguing. Time and again, man attempts to short circuit God’s methods but finds himself broken upon the shoals of life. Others may attain worldly success, but at what cost? As the adage goes, men are so busy climbing up the ladder of success, only to reach the top rung and realize their ladder is leaning against the wrong building. They have everything they thought they wanted, but it came at a cost of everything they truly needed.

God has built process into His economy. He could have had a push button system wherein we received everything we desire immediately simply by pressing a certain verse. A few errant preachers promote this sort of theology today. Instead, God uses the resource of time as one of His greatest agents of grace. If we thumb our nose at God’s way, it can be an emotional and spiritual slaughter.

Jack Whittaker had created $17 million in wealth over several decades through his own hard work and God’s blessing. In 2002, on a whim, he bought a lottery ticket which ended up being the single biggest payout in lotto history: $314,000,000. Within a few short years, however, both his daughter and granddaughter were dead as an indirect result. He was robbed several times. He made some bad investments and also started some bad and expensive vices. In the end he lost everything, even his $17 million. He said he wished he would have torn that ticket in two.

“One generation makes it, a second adds to it, and the third generation loses it,” is an intergenerational quote that is backed up with far too many examples. The bottom line is we appreciate and take care of that for which we work. We come to know not just its worth but it’s true value. This is not only true with money, but it is also true with education.

When our children struggle with a new lesson in math or science, that is not necessarily a bad thing. Yes, there may be some complaining and even a few tears, but something else is happening at a deeper level. When the brain works hard, it actually strengthens synapses in the brain much like weights do for the muscle. Additionally, grappling with the concept itself will cause the new knowledge to stick better. Finally, our children will discover the greatest lesson of all, never give up. The latter moral will give them a proper perspective of the future by emphasizing life is conquered one step at time rather than leaping over tall buildings in a single bounce. There aren’t that many Supermans out there.

When—not if—our children’ complain about how long science is taking, remind them that a premature inheritance is seldom fully appreciated and will therefore not be blessed in the end. It is when we have spent the necessary blood, sweat and tears that we have a greater appreciation for the prize gained and have increased our level of endurance for the next life lesson that is sure to follow.