Like Father, Like Son? tagged: , ,

Like Father, Like Son?

Posted by in IMPACT Features

Almost 2 ½ years ago, my father went to be with the Lord. Frequently, I am asked what it was like to grow up as the son of Adrian Rogers. At times, it is hard to know just how to answer that question.

I am privileged to have a very wonderful heritage. I can truly say, after 45 years of living with my father and observing his life, he was a man who was consistently faithful to the calling God had given him. I have very little doubt that when the day comes for him to give account of his life before the Lord, the Lord will say to him: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” In many ways, the example my father set for me is a great blessing and a wonderful gift.

In other ways, though, know what? At times, it can be something of a burden. You see, I have a very high standard to live up to. In many ways, I will never be able to be just what my father was. Try as hard as I can, I will never be able to preach quite like my father. I will never have the same charisma and leadership skills with which God so uniquely blessed my father. And as much as I wish that such could be the case, I am also aware that I will most likely never be blessed to lead as many souls to Christ as my father throughout his 55 years of ministry.

However, when I get to heaven, I honestly do not think that is the question God is going to ask me. When I get to heaven, and I appear before the Lord, I do not think He is going to ask me if I was as talented, or as gifted, or as successful in ministry, as my father. He will ask me, though, how good of a steward I was with the gifts and talents He gave me.

As a child, I was often asked if, when I grew up, I was going to be a preacher “just like my Dad.” Looking back, that was somewhat of a heavy psychological burden for me to bear. I am thankful that my father himself, although he always encouraged me in my spiritual growth and the use of my spiritual gifts, did not place this burden upon me.

I have followed with interest the stories of people like Franklin Graham, Andy Stanley, Ed Young, Jr., and even Joel Osteen. Although I haven’t yet had the opportunity to actually read the book, I have also read with a mixture of curiosity, sadness, and chagrin several reviews of Crazy for God, by Frank Schaeffer, in which he, by all reports, denigrates, in many aspects, the ministry of his parents. If there is a common theme, it seems to me it is that God makes each of us different. None of us fits exactly into the mold which others might want to force upon us. But, God wants to use us, nonetheless.

A few years back, after having struggled a bit with this reality in various ways down through my life, I, during a special time of private devotion with the Lord, felt led by the Holy Spirit to consciously embrace the heritage and background He had allowed me to have. In that moment, He showed me in a new way that He, in his infinite wisdom and grace, uniquely chooses for each one of us the particular life circumstances that will help mold us into the person He has designed for us to be. From a pyscho-analytical perspective, I have come to the conclusion that all of this may well be one of the factors that God has sovereignly used in my life to help me to discover my “call to missions.”

I would be less than honest if I was to say that my father’s legacy does not still cast a long shadow over my life. There are indeed certain expectations that “go along with the territory.” And, I do believe I have a certain degree of legitimate responsibility to not do anything that might in any way dishonor or discredit my father’s well-deserved reputation. At the same time, I have come to see that my ultimate responsibility is not to him, but to my Heavenly Father. It is to him and him alone that I will be called one day to give account.

Yes, it’s true, in some ways my life and my circumstances may not have been exactly like yours. In some ways, I have had some opportunities and privileges that you may never have. In other ways, though, I have had to deal with certain burdens and responsibilities that you may not have to deal with. But the truth is, each and every one of us, no matter who we are, and where we’re from, need to be the best stewards possible of the talents and circumstances God has given us. I believe we need to stop and ask ourselves the following question:

Given the spiritual gifts, natural abilities, resources, life circumstances, and unique personality that God has given me, where in the world, and doing what, can I be the most faithful to Jesus’ call to discipleship and obedience in my life? Or from a slightly different perspective, where and how can I make the most strategic contribution towards the fulfillment of the Great Commission? I hope that one day God will find me faithful to the mission He has given me. What about you?

*See also What my Daddy has Given Me