A 'moment' in church life

When we joined our local church 5 years ago our eldest son was 10 years old and the oldest child in the church. The nearest boy his age was about 4 years younger. When it came to joining a church with a peer group for our older kids-well, it was a real step in faith because that peer group didn't exist.

We still felt that changing to this church was the right thing to do because it would connect our life together so much better. Our kids at the local school, preschool and us involved in the local church. Even still it wasn't the most ideal choice for our older kids.

However, this morning at church provided a 'moment' to reflect on where we've come from. Now our church has a viable youth group. Our son is still the oldest kid, but that's ok. Someone has to be the oldest. What it has given him is a great appreciation for the times when new kids his age have joined. It's given him a level of maturity in commitment to attending church and youth group beyond that of many adults. He knows that if he doesn't go it makes it hard for his one friend to be there (yes, that's one friend more than we started with).

Today the youth helped with welcoming, the music, read the Bible, did the prayers. This was the moment when persevering and just turning up week in, week out even when it's not ideal starts to make sense. The group of youth is still not big. We're still not even biggish. It's small, but it's yeast-like and God can do His work in people's lives with the small.

I write this because you might be feeling discouraged because you are in a hard place church wise with your family. But God can use the less than perfect to teach all of us so much. Often church life can be pretty uninspiring, especially if you are seeking to serve Jesus in a small place. But in these hidden and undervalued places God is still doing his work. And he's still caring for the hearts of our kids.