Fitting in what really matters

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One of the challenges we've had to think through in the last year since our eldest started high school, is how we allow time for their church involvement.  It is very easy to fill up life with the apparent 'essentials' - school, activities like music and sport, homework, leisure, but not allow time in that planning for what I actually think is really essential.  When the kids were little that involved us going to church and me going to a weekly Bible study group.  The kids just came along and fitted in with that.

But now we have kids in two different youth groups - on different nights of the week and a third night out with a small group Bible study for the high schooler.  We are so knackered from driving them around to all their other activities (that I've paid money for so I feel quite motivated about getting them to those things) that it can feel easy to say 'oh, let's just have a break from all that for this week'.

So easy to do, but hugely important to not do.  You may have noticed that I don't talk much about what we 'do' as a Christian family - we don't have great structures in place for family Bible reading or anything like that.  Just being honest - we're a bit useless on that front.


But based on our own experiences growing up in strong Christian families it was other things that we were involved in during high school, that became very significant for both of us as we got older.  The youth groups, the weekends away, the holiday camps, the small groups, the school lunch time groups.  The leaders of these groups - who felt removed from our parents, and just, o so much cooler - played an important part in our Christian growth through adolescence.

My kids will only have the same experience if I create time in their lives for it.  If I commit to driving them to these activities.  If I am willing to invest financially in the camps.  And if I keep reminding myself what's of real value in the long run.  Is it being a child who had every opportunity in music or a child who knows and trusts Jesus for themselves?  It's a no brainer, but so easy to forget.

Comments

Kath said…
Yes, true. These activities helped me as a teenager, too. Thanks for the reminder Jenny.
February 15, 2012 at 10:00 PM
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