Growing Christians
As members of Christ’s body, the church, when it comes to our children and youth, we are about the business of “Growing Christians”. This is a metaphor that works well in this fertile valley that grows just about everything. It is a metaphor Jesus used and that has something to say to us as we all grow together in faith. “He told them many things in parables: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no roots. Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seeds fell on good soil, where they produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears let him hear.”
Our children and youth have ears and they are listening. What are they hearing? What are we saying? All of us, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, all of us united as family by the blood of Jesus, are tasked with the nurture of our young people. Spiritual formation does not occur by accident. We must intentionally cultivate the soil in which we hope our children will grow to mature faith. We must endeavor to nurture their knowledge of God in meaningful ways, so that the evil one cannot snatch away the faith, hope and love we are attempting to sow in their hearts. We want to provide our children and youth with a spirituality so strongly rooted in God’s word and His love that their faith will endure through joy and trials. Soon enough our children become youth and our youth become adults and find themselves facing the burdens and cares of this world.
The life pressures they will encounter will tempt them to find relief through empty promises which may eventually choke out the power of the word and spirit from their lives. We must not let that happen. Let us continually pray for God’s leading and commit to one another as we journey together in grace. Amen
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