Becoming a God-Kid
Dear Jason
Last night you mentioned to me your teacher said in Bible class that the world is going to be ending - soon! (She's right, but I disagree with the "why" of what she said) You went to bed shortly after that, but I lay in the bath thinking hard about you and me and God.
I don't think I've been a good parent when it comes to teaching you about God. When I was little, we had family worship every day, we prayed regularly, we went to church every week, and our lives were steeped in God-stuff. It might have been influenced by the fact that Gramps is a pastor, but most Christian families did that in that time!
We don't. We attempted family worship and it died out. We pray for Sabbath start and end, for meals - but find it hard to do it otherwise. We have given up going to church (but in a way that's a good thing, cos now we have to find God for ourselves instead of expecting others to dish Him up for us). Yes, we do see God in many things around us, but I suspect you've missed out on some of the stuff I grew up with.
Like Bible stories. You get them at school in your Bible class, but we had them every day, and I was surprised recently that you didn't know one of the well-known ones.
And Bible verses. I had to learn them every week for Sabbath school - you don't. I learnt them at home off-by-heart - you haven't. Sure, we trawl through your Bible now and then for our Sabbath God-time, and we find verses that we talk about. But is that enough? I doubt it.
One day God's gonna ask me what I did to raise you as His kid. I'm not sure I'll know the answer, or that I will have done well enough. And yet I don't know how to change. OK, I DO know, but it's hard to implement.
If the world really is about to end, are we ready? I don't know. I hope so. I hope that your eternal life hasn't been snuffed out because I didn't take the time...
Love
Mom
Last night you mentioned to me your teacher said in Bible class that the world is going to be ending - soon! (She's right, but I disagree with the "why" of what she said) You went to bed shortly after that, but I lay in the bath thinking hard about you and me and God.
I don't think I've been a good parent when it comes to teaching you about God. When I was little, we had family worship every day, we prayed regularly, we went to church every week, and our lives were steeped in God-stuff. It might have been influenced by the fact that Gramps is a pastor, but most Christian families did that in that time!
We don't. We attempted family worship and it died out. We pray for Sabbath start and end, for meals - but find it hard to do it otherwise. We have given up going to church (but in a way that's a good thing, cos now we have to find God for ourselves instead of expecting others to dish Him up for us). Yes, we do see God in many things around us, but I suspect you've missed out on some of the stuff I grew up with.
Like Bible stories. You get them at school in your Bible class, but we had them every day, and I was surprised recently that you didn't know one of the well-known ones.
And Bible verses. I had to learn them every week for Sabbath school - you don't. I learnt them at home off-by-heart - you haven't. Sure, we trawl through your Bible now and then for our Sabbath God-time, and we find verses that we talk about. But is that enough? I doubt it.
One day God's gonna ask me what I did to raise you as His kid. I'm not sure I'll know the answer, or that I will have done well enough. And yet I don't know how to change. OK, I DO know, but it's hard to implement.
If the world really is about to end, are we ready? I don't know. I hope so. I hope that your eternal life hasn't been snuffed out because I didn't take the time...
Love
Mom
posted by Michelle at 1:31 AM
6 comments
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