In 2021, we live in a world that is often fast moving around us. The American society, even in the aftermath of isolation caused by the impact of a pandemic, likes to be busy and yet even in a world filled with people around us and plates full of extracurricular activities, there can be times where we and our children can still feel completely alone. For us, we believe this is one of many factors that shows the importance of raising our children in a faith tradition.
Children may struggle to grasp the finer points of the Eucharist, the holy trinity, and the body of Christ reflected in the church at a young age, but regardless of level of understanding, there is one enduring message - that Jesus is always with us - that creates a comfort that is unparalleled in any educational or social experience.
In today’s world, which often shuns faith and the church family in favor of institutions, it is easy to discount the importance of church participation by younger generations. Even where this importance is recognized intellectually, today’s busy schedules (for both parents and adults) often force families to put church participation on the back burner.
But, there has never been a greater need for our children and youth to be involved in church. Why? Because it serves as perhaps the greatest antidote to the deep, confusing loneliness which is commonplace for children, especially in a world where 2020/2021 showed us that many of our ‘securities’ of routine and distractions that we use to fill our lives can change in an instant.
We feel the common struggles of challenges in today’s busy world. We are far from perfect parents, and we often struggle with the balance of prioritizing consistent time in faith education as the world demands our time in many ways. Activities like swim team, outdoor excursions, vacations fill our calendars, sometimes including Sunday mornings, and even when we are “free”, we often find ourselves scrambling to catch up on sleep, laundry, or even work before dashing off to church.
And, in the midst of our hectic lifestyle (which is often self-imposed), it can be easy to forget that Jesus is walking with us and our children no matter the season. If we choose a level of disconnection it should not mean that our children are forced to also accept this condition. We owe it to them to plant the seeds of hope and to give them every opportunity to have the best relationship of their lives with Jesus.
Jesus commands us to have the faith of a child, and he modeled an acceptance of children which is unparalleled. How awesome must it have been to have been a child in the presence of Jesus, being accepted not just by an adult, but by the Son of God! If we remember nothing else, it is that we have the obligation as parents and as a church body to make sure our children can experience this level of love and acceptance as often as possible.
It is our challenge for ourselves this year (and to anyone else who wishes to join) to be more intentional than ever in laying groundwork for our children so they have the opportunity to further develop the relationship between them and Christ. There are so many opportunities that we can use each day to show our children how God’s incredible presence and love is everywhere. Even when we are outside of a church building, we can show them that the church of Christ is not a physical space but a way that they can live their lives and something that they can look for all around them. If we cannot be physically at church or Sunday school, we can make a point of sharing God’s word with them through music, stories, or the Bible, and when we are in town, we can make a commitment to giving them the opportunity to engage in our wonderful faith-based community for children so they can continue to learn, grow, and develop the relationship of a lifetime.