Over the past few years, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James hasn't hesitated to speak openly about his desire to play on the same NBA team as his oldest son, Bronny. Fast forward to the summer of 2024; that dream is one step closer to reality. The Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, setting the stage for the NBA's first-ever father-son duo to play simultaneously. Though LeBron certainly didn't have ultimate control over what would happen with Bronny's career, there's been plenty of evidence over the years that he intentionally trained and prepared his son to be a professional basketball player. Countless videos on social media have captured LeBron working out with Bronny to help him improve his basketball skills. He's also regularly attended his son's basketball games to provide support, encouragement, and instruction. Regardless of how you feel about LeBron James overall, we should agree that it's heartwarming to see a father on the brink of receiving the fruit of years of training and preparation he's poured into his son. Parents can relate to LeBron's desire for his child to succeed in life. However, as followers of Jesus, we also know that our greatest desire for our children should be much more important than having them succeed in a professional career. For all believing parents, our greatest desire should be to see our children walking with the Lord, trusting in Him alone for salvation, and glorifying Him by keeping His commandments. As with LeBron and his son's basketball career, we don't have ultimate control over our children's eternity. However, we can train and discipline our children to put them in the best position to "succeed." Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) says, "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it." It's important to note that this verse isn't a guaranteed promise. Instead, it's a general truth that gives us the wisdom to make the best possible decisions. Though we can never fully guarantee that our children will walk with the Lord through our efforts, we can have confidence that choosing to follow God's design for parenting generally leads to positive outcomes. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV) outlines how parents are to train their children: "These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road when you lie down, and when you get up." God has commanded parents to actively train their children to know and follow the Lord's ways. He's also commanded us to intentionally discipline our children when they rebel against His commands (Proverbs 13:24). Today, let's remind ourselves that we must intentionally provide training, discipline, and encouragement to our children if we desire them to live lives that glorify God. As we do so, let's continue to pray that God, by His grace, will one day lead them to be our "teammates" in the faith. I'm Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the blessing and privilege of being a parent. Please give me the strength, grace, and wisdom to train my children according to Your Word. I pray that You'll work through my efforts to bring my children to salvation. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
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