.

Jason Garrett just received a promotion, good for him; we all love a promotion. He just became the Dallas Cowboy’s head coach. Here is what that has to do with the devotional today; nothing.

What about Jason that does have to do with the devotional is his family. He is one of 8, his parents Jim and Jane had been married 49 years at the time of an article in the Dallas Morning News in 2007. They had also been blessed with 27 grand children.

Jim’s job as a football coach and scout would mean that they would move often; if I counted correctly 11 times in those 49 years. For someone who has moved 3 times in 48 years that is hard to imagine, others of you might be able to relate better than I. That many moves can be hard on the kids, but I have found that adversity often bonds children closer together far more than affluence and ease.

When you are moving all the time, making new friends, going to new schools and living in a new house often your family is your security blanket. That is a good thing. All of that moving and all those brothers and sisters helped shape Jason into who he is and thus in the article he made this statement:

"It's my family," he said. "Everyone is a product of family. I'm just fortunate to come from the one I do."

That quote is rich in several different ways. I look around at my own life both with my family growing up and with the family I am in the process of growing and I see exactly what he says. I am indeed a product of family and my family is influenced by my parents influence.

No matter if we like it or not we are greatly influenced by those who we grew up around. We deal with crises the way we saw them dealt with by our parents. We parent by the way we remember our parents parenting. How many times as a parent have you said something and then thought for a second and said that sounds just like my mother or father, you just can’t help it. You’re a product.

Let’s pause for a moment and see what God says about producing the best possible product:

· Love God. If we are to produce the best family product we are to love God with all we have and to teach our children to do the same. Simple enough. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

· Security. Children need security that has little to do with how much we move but how much we love them. From their parents they need to know they are loved and nothing is going to change that. They need to know we are going nowhere and our love isn’t either. Colossians 3:12-14

· Discipline. That doesn’t mean we are beating our kids, it means we are instructing clearly. They need easy to understand rules that come with clear consequences if broken. Many think of discipline as something harsh because rules were enforced in an unloving manner when they were children. Discipline in reality is love because it is looking out for the well being of the child, giving them structure and in the end providing security. Not to discipline is to not love your child completely; trust me your child does not need another friend they need a parent. Ephesians 6:4, Hebrews 12:6-8, Proverbs 3:12

We are all shooting for the same thing when it comes to our families; a good product. I see in Jason’s quote something that I would hope to hear from my children; an appreciation for having been raised in the family he was raised in. He said it like this, “I am just fortunate to come from the one (family) I do.”

Jim and Jane through all the moves kept their eye on the prize, not raising a NFL quarterback and coach but the real prize; raising a solid and secure family. Let’s shoot for the same. Remember what we produce will affect the generations to come; your children, their children and on it goes.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:4-6, “Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to raise families that honor you in all ways. Guide us down the right path so that the generations that come after us will know our love for you and our love for them. Give us the power to overcome our sins and mistakes as parents and keep our eye on the goal, raising Godly children. We ask these things in the name of Christ, Amen.