04 February 2008 Devotion for Today “Authenticity” Philippians 4:9
When I was in college, I lived for about six months at the house of a friend who was a naval officer and deployed for an extended cruise. He also encouraged me to drive his 1967 VW Beetle so it would be in good running condition when he returned. This was good because when I went out the door one February morning, I discovered that my 1970 Ford Maverick didn’t have any gas in it. In those days, when you drive a VW Beetle, what you see is what you get. If you don’t see the heater, its because they didn’t make one. There was no defroster for the windshield, either- and I spent a freezing drive to college wiping down the window on the inside to keep it from freezing over. The same was also true for the radio. I did some browsing in the college library that day and discovered that Ferdinand Porsche was commissioned by Adolph Hitler to build a practical, inexpensive vehicle that would be effective transport for the average German working family. Since 1937, when the Volkswagen (People’s Car) rolled off the assembly line, 22 million Volkswagen Beetles were until 2003. They created it, made it what it was, and the reason this car succeeded so well in the market is because the manufacturer didn’t try to make it into something it wasn’t. They never changed the design, because it worked. When you see the classic “punch-buggy,” there’s no denying what it is.
However, Volkswagen Beetle had some limitations. If you want to go off road four wheeling, this is not the car you’d want to drive because there is only a four-inch clearance underneath. If you want to drive across country with your family- this is probably not the car you would pick to drive, either. But one cannot deny that the classic VW “bug” was the genuine article- what you see is what you get.
Why am I telling you this story? Because if you want to make a difference with your kids, with your families- get real with them! You need to let them see who you are, because they are going to see it anyway. If you try to put on a false front they will see right through it. Our kids today are far brighter, far more intelligent these days than when we grew up. And if there is anything kids today cannot stand- it’s a fraud, a phoney! Back when I was growing up- roughly in the same time period in which that VW was made- we could be fooled back then,. But today’s kids can’t be fooled. If you are trying to be something that you’re not your kids will be able to see right through it immediately! They will understand you’re a fraud and here’s what they will learn- they will learn its okay to be a fraud. And my friends, we shouldn’t let our kids see us being frauds.
In Philippians 4:9, the Apostle Paul was concluding his epistle with these final thoughts- The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.”
In other words, say the right things, teach the right things, but most of all be the right things. Then we will make the generational impact upon our children and legacy that God desires that we give to the generations which come behind us. Be authentic, be real.
Have a blessed day!
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