anyway, i wrote a long email about my hopes for my children, the books we've used, what i think works (basically, organized thought and theology and care by the community of believers for all the children in the church and out of it)...
and then T sent them all to Transformers anyway while i was on the stage, helping lead worship - which is fine, i guess... I talked to the organizer and she told me they had a great devotional planned, but none of my children could remember any devotional - just the games and candy - if you go, you get candy - they set up a little table in the foyer and you only get it if you went to Sunday School, i mean... Transformers. It is very hard for a family with a lot of little people, to just opt out. Very very hard.
I'm so worried about church wrecking my children for God. Telling them that "it's enough" to do what they, the church does.
I don't have any answers, but my heart says to share my own journey with my children as i walk it, to confess sin and share epiphanies and worship whole heartedly - and hope that they seek out truth and ignore the fluff and pap and commercialism.
i think we are afraid to say we don't know when it comes to God - and yet, how can we know? He is so big - we are so small - we need to leave room for mystery, for faith.
And it's hard to judge fruit when it's still summer. And trust that harvest is on its way. I just keep praying, and being who i feel God calling me to be - and i don't want to substitute something inauthentic for something natural and organic that God may do through the structure He's instituted of a family, teaching their own little ones.
I would have to say, this is kinda where I'm at too. I really wanna keep my kids up in the service, but I can't at this point in my life. I really need the meat that I am getting from the service. I still have baby Matty with me usually, but I send all the others down. It's one of my only down times in the week (I really miss it when we don't go); it's one of my only feeding times because I don't make the time. However, making the time is coming a higher and higher priority as it is constantly on my radar right now.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's all about seasons - right now would be easy to keep them in the service with me - there's no pregnancy trips to the bathroom, no new nursling - i do have two toddlers who are 2 and 4 - but T's knees are so wrecked he can't sit for even 30 min solid without needing to get up, so he takes them to the nursery to play. But even though it's probably ideal for me right now, it's hard to compete with candy and games (you can hear them shrieking :)...) so that they can sit down to a sermon about handling your money (which i think will be the theme for the next few weeks) - i do think it's important stuff, but maybe not so applicable to an 8 yo...... :)
ReplyDeleteHi Steph,
ReplyDeleteYour fifth paragraph is the key. I think a lot of people expect that if they just get their kids to SS and Youth....they have done their part. (HA!...) But it is your Authentic discipleship to Jesus that will show them the way....