It takes a church!

 

Caution, this is one of those “warm your heart, Mama stories”    :

This past Sunday, we were invited to share in one of the adult Sunday School classes at our church.  Miss Fay was part of the class. Miss Fay was our daughter’s Sunday School teacher 11 years ago, when our daughter was 4.  After we shared, Miss Fay opened her Bible and took out a picture our daughter had drawn for her 11 years ago. She said that she cherished this picture and had kept it in her Bible all these years.  It brought tears to my eyes. I started to recount all the people that had taught my children in Sunday School, those that had mentored them in their youth, those that stand as prayer warriors for our family and those that show kindness to us in countless ways.  My kids are who they are because of those that have shaped their lives as encouragers, teachers and mentors. Miss Fay and Miss Dalyce loved those kids in their class with such sweet kindness and acceptance. Ken and Brenda bounced our daughter on their knee and comforted her when she was going through separation anxiety at 3 years old.  They also led her in her First Steps Class when she accepted Christ into her heart and wanted to be baptized. The Forrests and the Cottrells loved her and encouraged her…so many people have invested into the hearts of my kids.

Last summer, our middle daughter spent the summer “back home” in Ohio instead of being part of a summer missions team like usual.  The summer allowed her to worship at our home church where we served when we lived there. She was reconnected with a body of believers, a family, who loved her genuinely!  She re-established herself in that body after 12 years of living in Florida. Just a few days ago, my daughter called me wanting to share something God had revealed to her that day.  You see, our family is preparing to move to Cambodia in a few months to serve long term. This daughter will stay back in the US to continue on in college at Asbury University. She realized that God had called her to stay home last summer, to prepare her and give her a community that would love and support her in our absence.  She said, “God knew that He was calling my parents away next summer and I would need these relationships to encourage me when you leave.” I always stand in awe of God’s sovereignty and provision!

 

You see, God loves our children more that we could ever love them.  He provides a community to stand with us as parents and help to shepherd our children’s hearts toward His.  I am so thankful for that! Never take for granted your part in the body of Christ! It has been said “it takes a village to raise a child.”  The “Village” has enough influence on my child already…I don’t want the village to influence my child, I hope my child will learn to see the world filtered through the heart of believers and toward Christ!.  Each of us have a responsibility in the body. We are not meant to be pew sitters, but prayer warriors, mentors, teachers, encouragers and leaders!!

 

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope, without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  Hebrews 10:23-25