Once again, this week’s challenge from John Piper isn’t directly intended for me. But I still can take away something from it…
“That, if you have children, you accept responsibility with your husband (or alone if necessary) to raise up children who hope in the triumph of God, sharing with him the teaching and discipline of the children, and giving to the children that special nurturing touch and care that you are uniquely fitted to give.”
I am not a mother, though I long to be one some day. But in the meantime, I have been entrusted with various children, formally and informally. Formally, I help lead the 5th and 6th graders’ Sunday School class. This allows me week after week to invest in those children as we walk through the Bible.
Informally, I have many children in my life, primarily the children of those in my small group at church. One of the great blessings of living in community is the open invitation to participate in the lives of the families around me. Rarely a Sunday or small group gathering goes by where I don’t have the opportunity to talk to or correct a child or two. The children (usually) receive this well because they recognize that I have a part in their lives.
I have a closer bond to a couple of the children, which allows me to speak truth in their lives. I doubt I’m telling them anything they haven’t already heard from their parents, but kids have been known to think that their parents are idiots, and it’s helpful to hear the same message from more than one source.
Children keep me honest. They help me—make me—find words to explain concepts I may have left unexplained. They force me not only to speak truth, but to rely heavily on God in attempting to live it out. No matter how many times I tell them a truth is important, they know whether or not I really believe it by whether I act on it or not. That’s very humbling.
I’m very thankful for the parents who allow me to have these relationships with their children. They’re a blessing to me, and I learn from them as well.
I know I’ll have a lot still to learn when I have my own children, but I hope that these experiences will give me somewhere to start.
Other Posts in This Series:
Photo by brandon king
And you are someone’s child…
That is actually a fabulous foundation for being a mama and I do hope you get to see that for yourself one day!