Growing up, my dad traveled quite a bit serving as the director of a large ministry, and in doing so, preached at various churches across the state most every weekend. Growing up in a home where my dad was absent a lot should have been much more difficult than it was. Talking to my friends who had fathers that traveled when they were young, I almost always find a spirit of bitterness and unforgiveness in their attitudes. That was not the case in our home, and I’m certain it was because of Mom’s ability to use what I now call, “Mission-Minded Parenting.”
In our home, being my dad’s child was a blessing and an honor. Church was never a chore, a punishment, or something we could blame our frustrations on. I cannot remember a single time where my mom “vented” to us about my dad being gone another weekend, even though she had every right to be frustrated. Instead, we would get together and pray for dad, and talk about all of the people that he was leading to Christ.
God was real to Mom. She was constantly sharing her faith with our neighbors and looking for opportunities to invite them to church or tell them about Jesus. She taught me how to have my own quiet time when I was barely old enough to read. We had weekly Scripture memory verses (that were rewarded with Icees) and family devotions at night even when Dad was gone. Jesus wasn’t something we just “did” on Sunday mornings. He was an attitude we held day in and day out. Mom had a mission – to show us Jesus was the real deal, and life without Him was meaningless!
Looking back on my upbringing, I’m constantly challenged to raise my son the same way. There are days when the long hours that we put into church become taxing, and I’m especially tempted to complain about my husband’s work schedule, but if I want my son to grow up loving church as much as I did, it starts with me. It’s my mission to make sure that he grows up knowing that Jesus is a lifestyle.
As a parent, what is your mission? What do you desire most for your kids? Do you desire that they grow up to love Jesus with all of their hearts? Do you desire that they live honest, above-board lives? Scripture tells us in Eph. 4:1, that we’re to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Our calling is to tell our children about the Lord, and raise them up in a home where they are loved on and adored as Jesus would…. but let’s not forget the “live a life” part of that verse. I’ve learned that in order for kids to grow up to be the adults we hope them to be, we have to model for them what that looks like first. The biggest question I can ask myself is, “If my children follow me, will they meet Jesus? And if so, what kind of Jesus?” Is church a task that we “have to do” or something we “get to do”? How can I expect my son to pursue and deepen his relationship with the Lord unless he first sees that my own relationship with Christ is real, passionate, and exciting?
As parents, we’re given the awesome opportunity to teach our children everything about life. It starts when they’re young and we teach them to use a spoon to eat the macaroni and cheese we put in front of them. As they grow, we teach them to tie their shoes, politely introduce themselves to others, and respond with “please” and “thank you.” Sometimes, however, I think that we forget that we also need to teach them to love the Lord. We need to teach them that God is a priority and show them how to grow in their own relationship with Him, outside of listening to a preacher’s sermon on the weekend. We need to spend quiet time with Him and then gradually step away and watch their relationship with the Lord grow and thrive.
That’s our mission as parents ─ to raise our kids to love our Lord more than we do. Our mission is to live in a way that they know that Jesus makes you different and makes life worth living!
Are you living out your mission?
~ By Beth Browning
