Two things before we get started.
First, this one is directed at young parents who are probably too busy to sit around reading “As Jim Sees It.”
Second, in a minute you are going to ask, “Where did that come from?” Let me answer before we get there. I am a preacher, an old man that came up in a time when the culture took Sundays off so people could go to church, and knowing that there are youth soccer games on Sunday morning drives me crazy.
So, here we go. Let’s talk about child development and math.
To start, we will assume that you and yours are church going people. That’s how you were raised or maybe you made that decision a while back. Either way, that is who you are.
Now, let’s say you have a child. I know it feels like he or she will be two forever and you have plenty of time to instill your family’s values. Truth is, you have maybe, eight-hundred Sundays. Those are the Sundays they have to go to church just because you say so. Eight-hundred. Seems like a lot when you are on your first fifty but it is a finite number.
Let’s say you miss thirty of the first hundred because it is just hard to get a baby up, fed, dressed and to nursery where they really aren’t learning anything anyway. Then you miss thirty of the next one-hundred fifty because everybody’s young and its fun to take them to the mountains and beach on the weekends. Then you miss a hundred of the next three-hundred fifty for all the above reasons, plus soccer games and they are spending the night with friends. Now they are twelve, stay up too late on Saturday night, “Johnny doesn’t go to church!” and they are going to come in late from various trips and band competitions. Plus, it’s tough to argue a teen or a tweener out of bed, into the shower, out of the shower, into the car, to church. Let’s say you miss fifty of the next two-hundred. Times up. You missed over twenty-five percent of your chances to instill your family’s church going values. Two-hundred ten.
I wonder if that’s too many? Don’t know. Do you?
I think that it is indeed too many. Really, is two hours a week too much to ask? School, friends, chorus, band, football, work – I think they can spare two hours a week to be at church on Sundays. In our house, it is sort of an understood “because Mom said so.” I will never feel bad about that one…maybe about other things, but not that one.
As a Mom struggling with just that thing this was a timely piece for me to read. It IS hard to get up and get three kids to church. And then to actually SIT with them in the sanctuary? All that squirming! and talking! (and so much more that I just can’t comment on!) But then one day the 11 year old sums up the sermon in a couple of very insightful sentences and the 14 year old explains to me that “I’ve been thinking about Rev. Jim’s sermon” about prayer and blessings. SO I’m holding out hope for the little one. But maybe, just maybe, someone could pray for me to get through the more mortifying moments in the sanctuary?
Our time with them is definitely fleeting!
This is another blog topic that seems to apply to me. I struggle with imaginary scales of justice. Every Sunday morning (sometimes Saturday night), I start to add excuses why we can’t go to church. Things like, one of us has a cold, the weather is too nice, I have nothing to wear, on and on. Then, if all is going as it should, I recall how good I felt after church last Sunday, that sermon was so good…what if I had missed it? What will people think if we aren’t there for 2 weeks in a row? Will someone think we have abandoned our pew and try to move in? Not really good reasons, but reasons, nonetheless, that tip the scales towards God.
Sunday morning shouldn’t be the most stressful morning of the week…. but, in the Winston household, with a 2 year old and a 4 year old, I am sad to say, it is. It is not even close. I have a dream it won’t always be this way. But for now I pray that Sunday can become the day of rest it was intended to be. I also know that a lot rides on me making a commitment. It is up to me as the father to make it happen. If I say to my son, “ok, if you don’t finish eating your breakfast, we are not going to church” — well, that week we won’t be going to church.