A Yoda You Should Be

Star Wars is one of the most popular movie franchises in history. In fact, it’s so popular that it has touched virtually every form of media there is. In addition to movies, there are:

Star Wars TV series

Star Wars novels

Star Wars comics

Star Wars radio adaptations

Star Wars video games

Star Wars board games

Star Wars soundtracks

And of course we know there are Star Wars t-shirts and facemasks and even Star Wars underwear.

Recent estimates have the Star Wars franchise being worth over 25 billion dollars.

And in the Star Wars universe, of all the fascinating characters that have emerged over the years, one of the most popular is Yoda.

It’s hard to say what Yoda is. We know that he is small, green, and male. We also know that he is old—900 years old to be exact—which means he has been around long enough to have experienced much of the galactic history that supports the films. He is also the most renowned Jedi Master, known for his uncommon wisdom and mastery of the skill of lightsaber combat.

The reason I’m mentioning Yoda at the beginning of this message is because he is the perfect example of what I want to talk about today. He gives us the perfect example of what it takes to complete our quest for financial health that honors God.

Having lived out his own 900-year quest, Yoda was committed to passing on his knowledge and experience to help the younger generations of Jedi. This mentoring and teaching that he did is where so many of his uniquely phrased sayings come from, such as:

“Do or do not, there is no try.”

Or this one: “When you look at the dark side, careful you must be. For the dark side looks back.”

When it comes to our ongoing quest to achieve financial health that honors God, we all have a responsibility to do what Yoda did…to think about the next generation, especially our own children, and what we can do to give them the best opportunity to succeed in their quest to achieve financial health that honors God.

One way to think about this is to picture a track and field relay race. There is a baton that has to be passed. The passing of that baton, whether it’s done smoothly or clumsily, often determines the outcome of the race.

If you want some chuckles, do an Internet search on the words “worst baton pass ever.” The videos you’ll see will be cringe-worthy. You’ll see world-class sprinters who have trained for years experiencing catastrophic outcomes because of botched handoffs. As Christians, the last thing we want to do is make good financial decisions that honor God and then fail in the “handoff” to our children.

Or maybe you’ve built a sandcastle at the beach. I’m not talking about moving some sand around with your hands and calling it a castle. I’m talking about going all out, spending hours painstakingly shaping the sand and creating the wall and the keep and the battlements.

If you’ve done this, then you know the sense of accomplishment that comes when you finish. Imagine yourself stepping back to admire your handiwork just as your son or daughter, chasing an errant beachball, comes crashing into it, destroying the whole thing. This is a picture of what happens in many families when it comes to finances; what is built by one generation is destroyed by the next.

But this is not just me advising you. Actually, the Bible instructs all of us to be diligent in imparting our wisdom and experience to the next generation.

In Proverbs 4:10-13, Solomon said, “My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run you won’t stumble. Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.”

Obviously, as parents, we’re going to coach our kids in lots of different areas. We start by teaching them to feed and dress themselves. We take them to church and teach them about Jesus. We talk to them about sex and dating and how to get along with people. We give them advice when they’re facing big life decisions like where to go to college or which career path to choose.

Sadly, in the middle of all that coaching, we often don’t focus on helping them achieve financial health that honors God. Oh, we might encourage them to put money in a piggy bank when they’re young, or give them an allowance when they get older and require them to save some of it. But managing money in a way that honors God is often not one of the things we focus on with our kids.

So today, I want to suggest two things you can do that will be very helpful to your children in their own financial quest.

I. First, create a legacy plan.

Also known as an “estate plan,” a legacy plan, is a plan for how you’re going to resolve certain key issues and questions at the end of your life.

For example, what will happen to your assets when you’re gone? Chances are, you will die owning property and with money in the bank and maybe some investments. Where will all that stuff go?

Also, there are questions about end-of-life care. If you require life support at the end of your life, do you want it? And if so, for how long and under what circumstances?

Unfortunately, lots of people come to their final days without any kind of plan. And when it happens, it’s not because they’ve never heard of wills or trusts or estate planning. Most likely, it’s because of procrastination, or because the person simply didn’t feel comfortable thinking and talking about his own mortality.

And I want to talk about that for a moment.

I’ll agree that death is not the happiest of topics, but as Christians we should know that this world is not our home.

Philippians 3:20 says, “We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.”

We should not grow attached to this world. As Christians, we should be looking forward to the day when we get to meet our Savior face to face and receive the rewards he has promised us. Which is why it’s troubling if thinking and talking about your departure from this world is a problem for you. I would encourage you to read and meditate on the promises of God concerning heaven. If you need to, talk to someone and work through whatever is troubling you.

Heaven and the notion of going there should excite you. Think about the struggle that we all face, living in a fallen world. Yes, there are many wonderful blessings for us to enjoy and we thank God for those. But sooner or later, life gets hard. Sooner or later, trouble comes to us all. Heaven is our release from all that.

Now, I realize some of you might be thinking, “But preacher, it’s not my aversion to thinking about death that makes me reluctant to make a legacy plan, it’s my family. I know that, no matter what I do, somebody’s not going to be happy.”

One pastor told about a funeral he officiated for a man who had several grown sons. He said that when the man’s sons and their families arrived at the church for the service, the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Ordinarily, bereaved family members are hugging and wiping tears and even clinging to each other. In this case, the brothers were glaring at each other like boxers getting their final instructions from the referee.

Suddenly, the pastor heard shouting in the foyer. He rushed to the scene and found the funeral home personnel physically separating the brothers before fisticuffs broke out.

The pastor learned later that the animosity sprung from the reading of the will that had happened a day or two earlier. There was bitterness and resentment among the brothers over the choices their father had made, and much suspicion that one of the brothers had secretly manipulated his father into making decisions that heavily favored him over his brothers.

Sadly, this is not an unusual occurrence. Countless family feuds have been triggered by legacy plans, perhaps leaving you to wonder how you can ensure that your legacy plan doesn’t turn into a powder keg that could blow up and tear your family apart after you die.

I have two simple suggestions.

Number one, work hard to make sure your relationships with all of your children and family members are loving and healthy. Usually, when there’s a blow-up in a family, it’s because there’s stress or brokenness in one or more of the relationships. Don’t let that happen. And if it has already happened, get to work and try to fix it.

And number two, communicate. When there’s a blow-up in a family over the reading of a will, it’s usually because something nobody expected was in there.

Here’s something to remember: If there’s something unexpected or unusual in your will, the time to explain it to your family members is before you die. For example, if you want to leave a sizeable gift to your church or a mission, you should tell your children and explain to them why that’s important to you instead of letting them be shocked when they find out that money’s not coming to them.

So many problems in this world could be solved simply with better communication.

But let me move on and talk about the other thing you can do that will be very helpful to your children in their financial quest.

II. Teach your children what you have learned on your quest.

One of the most important passages of Scripture in the Bible is known as “the Shema.” Shema is a Hebrew word that means “listen,” which is the first word of the passage which starts in Deuteronomy 6:4. You’ve probably heard it. It says:

Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Did you notice that middle section where it says to repeat the commands of God again and again to your children? And to talk about them throughout the day, wherever you go and whatever you do? No, I don’t think that means that if you take your son to a baseball game, you should be lecturing him about financial matters during the seventh inning stretch. But it does mean that as you make your way through life with your children, you should be seizing whatever teaching moments might come unexpectedly and intentionally creating a few of your own.

You know, parenting is quite an adventure. I don’t think anybody really has a clue how weird and wonderful the experience is until that first child actually arrives. As prospective parents we read books, search the Internet, listen to podcasts, and digest a river of information that flows into our ears from family and friends. But when the baby arrives, a lot of it goes out the window and we find ourselves hanging on for dear life.

If you’re a parent, pause for a moment and ask yourself a question: When you find yourself nearing the end of your life and you think about your children, where will your mind go? What will seem important to you?

Will you recall that Little League trophy your son won when he was twelve?

Will you glory in that first dance recital your daughter had when she was seven?

Will their high school diplomas fill you with pride?

Will you rest easy when you think about all the big promotions they got over the years?

I doubt it.

I’m guessing your thoughts will be focused on the kind of people they are, the quality of the lives they’re living, and most of all, whether or not they know the Lord. Individual achievements will mean little if you see your children on a road that dishonors God.

There are so many moments in our lives as parents when we feel overwhelmed. Life comes at us fast, there are so many decisions to make and crises to handle that we feel like we’re caught up in a tornado. Then, suddenly, the nest is empty, the kids are gone, and we’re wondering what happened.

Don’t let the opportunity to teach your kids valuable truths slip through your fingers. Don’t let the day-to-day hustle and bustle of family life distract you from teaching your children what they need to know to live lives that honor God. Do what the Shema says. Take advantage of every opportunity to teach God’s ways to your children…and that includes God’s ways when it comes to the handling of money.

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As I wrap up this message, I want to make an important point about parenting that will encourage you.

Yes, passing on Godly truths to our children is a big responsibility. And yes, there are many forces working against us. It’s easy to feel intimidated. But keep this in mind: When your children are young, they want to be like you. In fact, nothing is more common than a child mimicking his or her parents.

Little girls love to dress up in their mothers’ clothes

Little boys beg their dads to let them drive the riding lawnmower.

Little girls can’t wait to wear make-up like their moms.

Little boys root for the same sports teams their fathers love.

The point is, our children are wired to want to be like us when they are young. Which means you have a wonderful opportunity, a wide-open window to teach them to make godly lifestyle choices.

The mistake many parents make is waiting too long to start. They think a four-year-old is too young to learn about things like saving and giving and planning.

If this thought has crossed your mind, I suggest that you turn on your TV to one of the networks that caters to children and watch the commercials. You’ll find that the advertisers are investing millions to teach your children about spending and acquiring in a steady stream of 30- and 60-second commercials. They know your kids can learn; it’s time you believed it too, and started leading them in the right direction.

I plead with you to reflect on the Shema. Think about how you can weave God’s truth into your daily interactions with your children. They’re ready to learn if you’re ready to teach!