“Eric’s parents would take him and his little sister to his grandparents’ house. Needing to be the first person through the front door, he would burst into the house yelling with exuberance, ‘Hello everybody, I’m here.’ Eric knew he was of supreme value. When he entered the home, the world he knew was ready to stop and take note, ‘Hello everybody, I’m here.’ He felt safe and loved, a protective care hovered over him and one can imagine the internal conversations he had, recalling the words communicated to him from tow loving grandparents. Like the loving ministry of these two grandparents, the Christian faith is to be embedded in the lives of our children. This happens with words, sights, sounds, hugs, winks, and a general demeanor and conduct that guide, protect, and speak to children in ways that remind them of the power of the faith for their every breath, every heartbeat, and every step.” (pg. 64)
Again, to emphasize, “Who is a Christian parent?” The answer is, “Anyone who stands in the place of a Christian adult.” Any adult member of the church is responsible for the care and nurture of the youth of the church. It is a joy and an honor that God calls us to this. We are the ones “that will remind them of the power of the faith for their every breath, every heartbeat, and every step.” In doing this, we strengthen our own walks of faith. For as we walk alongside and teach we are learning and growing in ways we could never have imagined. To teach and pass on the faith we need not wait to perfectly master the faith (because that will never happen on this side of heaven), but we need to have a desire to learn and grow and ask questions together, as the faith become part of our every breath, every heartbeat, and every step. Simply by your caring presence communicates to those around you that they are loved and accepted, not only by you, but also by their heavenly Father.
As we carry out our callings, we know we will not carry them out perfectly. God forgives. We are called, instead, to carry them out faithfully, trusting that God is leading. It is in that trust that we learn more and teach more than one hundred hours in the classroom. God’s blessings for a wonderful month of October! God’s peace! Pastor Matt
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This
story is told in “Frogs Without Legs Can’t
Hear”: