I know I can sound like a broken
record….but spiritual health is just as, if not more important as physical and
emotional health. As a matter of fact, Spiritual Health can help with the other
two more than you can imagine! People who have a strong faith, a community of
faith friends for support, and a place where they are not only welcomed but
loved and valued are more likely to be happier and healthier and live longer!
Who wouldn’t want that for their kids, their spouse, their selves! I know I do.
I will be real honest…there is absolutely no way I could have gotten through
the last year if it weren't for my faith, my church family, and my actual
family. It’s what has not only kept my kids and I going, but helped us stay
strong. I won’t go into details, but will share my story with you individually
if you wish to know. What I will share is that it has not always been easy to
go to church, to trust God, to take my kids to Sunday School or worship or
Youth, but if I didn’t, all of this would have been much harder. There’s two
things I know…one, kids look to you as an example of what to do. Children look
to you to learn what to be and which way to go in life. You think they don’t
listen…but believe me they see and they hear. If church and faith are a
priority to you, they are more likely to be a priority to them. The second
thing I know…sometimes kids have to do things they don’t want to do for their
own good. As a parent, if my child came to me and said, I don’t want to brush
my teeth. I wouldn’t say ok, no problem. I would tell them too bad, I don’t
want your teeth to fall out or pay the dentist to fill in your cavities…so you’re
brushing your teeth! Yet when our kids say, I don’t want to go to church…we say ok. We devalue their
spiritual health. We have an entire team working to make sure Sunday mornings
are worth it. We work hard to make the bible fun, our lessons engaging and kids
learning the value of their place in God’s big story! Is it going to mean that
everything we do every Sunday is going to be for every kid…of course not. There
will be some things they like, some things they don’t….but I guarantee what
they will get is the knowledge that there are people here who care about them,
that God cares for them and loves them, that the Bible does pertain to their
life and is the source for wisdom and truth and that they should treat others
the way they want to be treated. And those are the things that will get them
through just about anything life throws at them for years to come! Here’s the
catch….they need to come on a regular basis to get this. One more secret I will
let you in on. I have a huge heart for kids and their parents. Actually for
everyone. There’s a line in Eat, Pray, Love that was actually said to me by one
of my Pastors. Princess, he said (that was my nickname), I believe you have the
capacity to love the whole world. So, I can honestly say, I love and care for
your kids. I love and care for each of you. And I want your kids, for you, to
know how much God loves you, how valued you are. I want everyone to know, that
no matter what happens, you can and will make it through because God is with
you. Some of you already know that…but for those who don’t, it is my wish that
you will come to know that. But you gotta show up. Even if you do know it, you
need to show up to keep your faith strong, to continue to grow. Whether it's worship or Sunday School or Small groups...you gotta show up, you gotta get in the game.
