For a family with four sons, close in age like little stairsteps, it seems impossible to fly under the radar. In restaurants, other customers would approach our table with compliments about boys who ate salad or boys who managed themselves politely. We may have heard more than our share of admonitions to “enjoy this stage because it goes by fast.” (They were right…)
Fast forward a couple of decades, and even today with everyone grown and married, we continue to receive a lot of comments about our family. Happy marriages, stable jobs, and adorable grandchildren are external evidence that the project is still on track. Even so, my husband and I both flinch whenever a well-meaning observer starts sounding off about our “perfect” family.
No one knows better than the Morins just how imperfect the Morin family can be.
Our marriages are imperfect.
Our children are imperfect.
We are imperfect, each and every one of us. However, we do have a desire for our imperfect lives to honor God. We want to live worthy of the blessings we have received.
Ray and Jani Ortlund had the same ambition for their family, but with an additional amazing (and biblical) insight. Looking at God’s bias toward blessing, they concluded that if “back in Deuteronomy, God banned certain tribes and groups ‘to the tenth generation,’ how might the how-much-more heart of God bless our family, and your family, To the Tenth Generation.“
This thought changed the way they prayed for their family, and, doing the math, they realized that their prayers were reaching two hundred years into the future and could impact as many as 55,000 family descendants. That’s only ten thousand shy of the population of Portland—Maine’s largest city.
Sound theology requires me to emphasize that praying for God’s blessing is not equivalent to praying for exemption from trouble. We are not offered immunity from the world’s woes. What we are offered has to do with another world altogether.
Praying for God’s blessing is not equivalent to praying for exemption from trouble. We are not offered immunity from the world’s woes. What we are offered has to do with another world altogether.
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Wanted: Ordinary People
God is not looking for impressive people, but rather he is looking for people who are impressed by him, who are connecting the dots between his promises and their ordinary “sleeping, eating, going to work, walking around life” (Romans 12:1 MSG). According to the Ortlunds, trusting God for a grace-oriented marriage may be the most powerful thing we can do to influence our family’s future because a committed marriage is a vivid picture of the gospel love story.
The biblical record demonstrates that God is prone to selecting ordinary people to put his glory on display. By treasuring God’s word and treasuring one another an unremarkable family will, nonetheless, manage to make a mark.
Families with a “tenth gen” impact may be ordinary, but they are not isolated. Being deeply rooted in a local church takes the sting off any rejection a believer may experience from the prevailing culture. Sticking with our fellow Christians requires a sinewy determination to forgive, to serve, to get along, and to suffer well—all biblical commands as well as sound habits for living.
A lot of books about the family read like heavy-duty instruction manuals and they inspire hopelessness. To the Tenth Generation takes a long view and emphasizes the importance of simple faithfulness, walking in the fear of the Lord as we welcome our children and our grandchildren to walk alongside us, fueled by the Spirit and cherished by grace.
Holding You in the Light,
“Hands down, the greatest gift you can pass along to your family is your own devotion to Jesus.” ~Ray and @JaniOrtlund #tothetenthgeneration @BHpub
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Living Our Days 
Michele, I so appreciated this review. This >> “God is not looking for impressive people, but rather he is looking for people who are impressed by him.” This encouraged me to remember I am ordinary by His design for His purposes. Blessings to you and your family! 🙂
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Oh, we are SO blessed to be ordinary people who serve an extraordinary God. May we never cease to be impressed by him!
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This sounds like a good book, Michele. I understand about flinching when someone gushes about our family. Yes, I’m thankful for how my girls seem to be “turning out.” I also know it’s early in the process … VERY early. Rather than worry about all the things that could go wrong, I try to pray that they will remember who (and Whose) they are and that God will hold them fast. Can’t guarantee the first but the second brings me a lot of comfort.
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YES!!! We like to remind people that the project is still incomplete and we’re all in need of grace. “Hold them fast” —that’s such a peaceful way to pray.
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As always, thank you for your wise words, Michele!
And I can’t wait to order To the Tenth Generation!
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It’s such a refreshing perspective on parenting and the impact we can have on the next generation even as grandparents.
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This is such a good perspective. I pray occasionally for those to come from our family and need to do so more often.
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I am with you in this! I want to make it a priority!
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Wonderfully wise words, Michele. These in particular brought tears to my eyes: God is not looking for impressive people, but rather he is looking for people who are impressed by him.” Hallelujah for that!! What a good and gracious God he is to use imperfect people–like me. May each day find me more impressed, attuned, and submissive to him!
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I’m joining you in that prayer. Thank you so much for reading!
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Hello Michele,I enjoy you emails and
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Thank you, Kathy! So good to hear from you!
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Oh Michele thank you for this reminder that ordinary faithfulness and commitment matter! I just had this conversation with my Jim about what our vision should be for this stage of life as Grands… And your words have echoed his so precisely it’s uncanny apart from the Living Word at work in us! Thank you. I especially liked: ‘God is not looking for impressive people, but rather he is looking for people who are impressed by him…’ And the reality that trusting God for grace-oriented marriages that showcase His design may be our greatest mission … That’s so good, and encouraging. Thank you!
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It’s good to be having conversations about our vision for our families at this point in life. I appreciated this book’s reminder that our importance and impact as grandparents isn’t fading—even though it may fade in other contexts. And it’s always going to be important for us to work on our marriage.
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