Okay, I get it. Your mom made you go to church and you vowed you would never do that to your children.
Maybe it's time for a rethink. You may be cheating them--and yourself--by staying away.
How? Let's do a rundown:
- Where else can kids be surrounded by grownups of all ages who smile on them and love them even when they don't know their names?
- Where else does a "holy terror" kid get loved, time after time, even when said HTK can't sit still, can't be quiet and won't stop pestering whoever sits next to him?
- Where else do young children and adolescents interact with older adults--other than their parents--instead of just observing them from a distance?
- Where else do youngsters carry on real conversations with adults--listening adults--who aren't relatives or friends of their parents?
- Where else in today's world do kids get a front row seat to watch and learn that it takes all kinds of people, each one playing their part, to keep things going?
- Where else do children learn grownup songs and get to sing alongside adults? And where else would adults within hearing distance smile benevolently, even if a youngster sings off-key or messes up the words?
- Where else can you feel you already know--before you've spent much time with them--many of the values of the people around you?
- Where else will the difference between right and wrong be so clearly reinforced to your kids?
- Where else will they learn principles like "Love your neighbor as yourself," and "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and all the rest? (These truths sink deep and become a personal code far more reliable than moods of the moment.)
- Where else will your kids learn that Jesus came to set things right between God and us humans, that he lived and died and rose again so that all who believe can call him Friend.?
- In what other setting--besides at home--will your children be reassured over and over again that Jesus loves them? Or that he watches over them and is with them every moment of every day and night?
It's not "Go to church and do your duty," but rather, "Why cheat yourself and your kids out of the blessing and joy?"
Every mom and dad soon learns that our words don't mean much to our children if they're just words. What really counts with a child is, "Does this really matter to Mom or Dad? Or is it just something I'm supposed to do?"
That is, bring them with you to church, rather than just drop them off for Sunday School and then pick them up afterward.
Being part of a family of faith reinforces what you as a family stand for. It's about support and encouragement--for both your children and you as their parents.
Bringing your kids to church is not just so they can hear the pastor's sermon and/or the children's message or go to Sunday School. It's also so they naturally grow friendships with kids you more likely feel comfortable with.
If you're a mom or dad, your fellow churchgoers are like your backup team.
Think about it. A church family is just that: Family
You may live a thousand miles from relatives, but if you're part of a local body of believers, you're plunked right down in the middle of family.
Family related by faith, not blood, who will be there when you need them.
Folks who if they see you talking to a friend and spot your toddler running across the parking lot, will immediately race after your junior adventurer and deliver your little one safely back to you.
Individuals with whom it's safe to talk. People who will care that you're running on fumes and feeling overwhelmed.
It only takes one to hug you and remind you, "Take heart, it's not the end of the story yet. God will get you through this. I know that's true and here's how. ..."
It's been this way since Jesus started it
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
Look for a church that's Jesus-centered and Bible-centered, where the pastor and people are real, that is, authentic.
Then go with an open mind and be as friendly as you would be if taking part in any kind of new activity. There's no better way to give your kids--and yourself--a solid base for living. No better setting in which to make new friends. Count on it as a place to grow.
- Why bring your kids to church? Because you love them.
- Why go to church? Because you love yourself.
Still growing,
Lenore
