1. If you are a father or a mother make your children the most important priority in your life and build your other commitments around them. If you are not a parent, look for children who could benefit from your investment in their lives. (Wallis, 2014)
This is, at least, relatively easy for me. I enjoy kids. Kids seem to enjoy me. So here is how I will hopefully bring benefit to children.
A) I will continue to teach the confirmation class of 11/12 year olds at my local congregation. This is actually one of the greatest joys in my life. I get to be with these young people as they begin to maneuver the tricky waters of growing up and reveal to them that perhaps being a Christian might be one of the best ways to be successful. I do this through modeling that practice. I do it through teaching and I do it by running along side them as I push them to do things they had not believed they could do.
B) My second greatest joy is getting to talk with the little children during the Children’s Message during worship. It is something I both love and hate at the same time. It takes place just prior to us removing children from worship, which is not something I like having done but I accept the cultural relevance of it. That being said I want to make sure that they hear the Word of God, the same that the adults will hear, in a way that makes sense to them.
These are two very explicit ways that I will work towards benefiting children. How will children benefit from your investment in their lives?
searchingforthinplaces 