Robot Children

A facebook friend recently shared this song lyric by William McDowell:
“I won't go back, I can't go back to the way it used to be before your presence came and changed me! :)” This got me thinking….and responding:
“I love this. It's the idea of ‘If Christ hasn't changed your life, have you met Him yet?’”

Does your life change if you take the Jesus out of it? Is your life the same without Jesus?
If he isn’t your life-changer, if he isn’t your “I can’t live without Him” piece of the puzzle then perhaps you haven’t really met Him at all.

I worry for these kids growing up in our churches, thinking they know and love Jesus but putting him on like jewelry and not knowing what it means…what it means to be without Him and what it means to be with Him…what repentance is, and how even good kids are “undone” without His salvation. and when I worry…I pray..

Another article I recently read is about why some “good kids” go and some “good kids” stay. Common Traits of Youth Who Don't Leave the Church. One reason for staying was “They are converted.”

I look at my kids, ages 10, 8, and 7 year old twins. Yes, they are good kids. They know John 3:16 and the Lord’s prayer from memory. They have each asked Jesus to “come into their heart”. They are Christian kids. While that is all well and good, we parents seem to think it’s a sealed deal. Our adult perspectives are permanently planted in our own walk with Christ. But as our children age into adulthood, it’s our responsibility to explore with them why we believe what we believe and challenge them to make their own choices.

As much as I would like to, I cannot prevent my daughter’s first broken heart, but I can teach her to turn to He who heals the broken hearted. I cannot MAKE her a Christian anymore than God, who fashioned Adam and Eve, would MAKE them obey him. He did not want robots for children and neither do I.

I am still learning that I cannot be anyone’s Holy Spirit, but I can pray for the Spirit to draw my children, and I can live what I believe, share what I believe, and hopefully challenge my children to accept those beliefs as their own.

A Girl's message to all Christians