The Bible says to “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. However, I think a lot of us have misread it. We read, train up a child in the way he should ‘church’.”
I recently saw something on social media that read “Many are raised in church, but not raised in Christ”. So true. And because of this, a lot of my generation is well versed in church politics, protocols, antics and “signs”. We can argue at the business meetings, shout and speak in tongues, sing a hymn, have a baptist fit, tarry, clap hard and loud, MY MY MY (and not the Johnny Gill way) at just the right time, PREACH PREACHA, stand on cue, Hol’my mule while I shout…we have Women’s work and Men’s day, 1,155 chat and chews & fireside chats, usher boards numbers 1, 2, and 3 day, 3 services a day plus a midnight musical, 14 day 1 week revivals, quote every cliche known to man, and the list goes on…
We also seem to be a generation of out of wedlock babies, don’t judge me only God can judge me, extra marital affairs, gossips (men are just as bad as women), lying, sleezing, no conviction, no discipline, grace abusing, ends don’t never meet, sweep all my drama under the rug and continue on with paragraph number 2…all in the church…all because we have missed the real meaning of Christianity.
All of paragraph 2 is good, but useless if we don’t have power. That power is Jesus. And allow that power to work in us and on us. Click To Tweet My big hat on Sunday Morning will never cover up or excuse the fact that I can’t speak to the sis I sit next to in church. And my ability to riff and run an oldie but goodie song will never erase the fact that I am intentionally not being a good mother because I am too concerned about my boyfriend. If I can tickle the ivories, but I’m also tickling the preacher when the first lady ain’t home, it’s not right. All of it becomes just for show if God does not have my heart. When did we become so big and grandiose concerning ourselves that we have ignored the fact that we are disrespecting God? In His home?
I have always been very diligent with teaching my kids the importance of a right relationship with God, versus knowing how to church. I’ve seen the damage that the latter can do and don’t want that to be their pitfall. For example, I talk to them often about the importance of prayer. It’s habitual in that we should do it often, but not in that it’s practiced words that we repeat as if we are robots. It’s constant communication with God. In other words, I want them to know that they are God’s children, before they are “church kids”.
When your foundation is Jesus Christ…everything else falls into place, including church. Our habits and lifestyle become Jesus Christ. I realize every generation has it’s share of issues. But why can’t we be the generation that strives for holiness? Righteousness? Why can’t we stop sharing videos of children practicing shouting and instead teach them to seek God, and be so sensitive to His spirit, that when He moves, they feel it? Why can’t we pay attention in church, then go out into the world and apply what we’ve learned?
I grew up in Church. All my live long days. Practically born there. So I don’t say this from an inexperienced place. My walk with Christ didn’t truly become real until right before life went whoops upside my head. I’m thankful for the foundation I had to fall back on. Life is going to life on all us (in case you hadn’t noticed). Prepare your children. And yourself. Get rooted in Christ.
