Spent the morning at the Middle School in the refreshment tent for my son's class. Eighth grade has one week left and today was field day, the kind of day that makes kids enjoy school. After several days of really chilly weather it is back near 80 and sunny. Lovely.
When I woke my daughter this morning I said to her, "This is the day the Lord has made." The response, "We will rejoice and be glad in it." I am sure it is from a psalm. The monastic flavored seminary education I received has forever shaped me. This is the sort of thing that was said. It is part of a spiritual discipline. I rarely feel like I have done a good job raising my kids in the faith. We don't do family bible studies or family retreats. I try not to be overbearing about the faith with them. On the other hand, I do witness by my behavior. They see me in prayer and they see me in the Bible. My hope is that the example speaks louder than words. I have found them reading the Bible and I know they do Bible study with our church youth group. Questions they ask and statements they make indicate that they are formed by the Christian faith.
Yesterday driving home I heard "The Bible Answer Man" show on the local Christian station. They were talking about some recent surveys which indicate 78% to 90% of Christian kids leave the faith now after they leave High School. It made me sad, as my two will be in that age group in the next few years. Being a parent means letting go. You cannot make your kids believe. You cannot make them love the Lord. I wonder if our generation has done a particularly rotten job of handing on the faith, or if there is more going on? As a youth minister in the 1980's I did far more for kids than any priest ever did for me. I do not know how many of those kids are believers today, but based on Facebook many are. I also think it is harder now, for lots of reasons. The environment seems more toxic. But reading the Bible you get the impression that toxic is the normal environment in every age....
Life is grand, a wonderful gift. I tend to worry and wish I had more enthusiasm. I am greatful for field day and pretty weather. I am glad my daughter is on retreat this weekend. I am glad I get to preach three times. I am glad that our God is kind and merciful. And active among us. I know it is a struggle, but sometimes I just want to sit around feeling glad. SO I will!
As I sit here in the San Jose, CA airport waiting for a 10:30 pm flight to take me to Atlanta and then Memphis, I read your blog and hope and pray that I too have set a good example for my children. It is quite often the struggles in my own life may hinder my ability to guide my children. My daughter Sara is graduating from high school tonight and I will miss it due to flight delays and cancellations. I pray she understands my purpose for being out of town and the sacrafice she is forced to make. She does understand the conference I am attending is an effort to abolish the ability of child predators to hurt our children, but does she understand her sacrafice of me not being at her graduation may help others in the long run? She is strong in spirit, but how do we find what's best for our families spiritual health versus our callings?
ReplyDeleteJeff, you always write thoughtful and thought provoking blogs. God bless you.