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| My Amazing Two Girls, Sami (left) and Bethany. I already see glimpses of who they will be as teenagers. |
That was the question that my oldest daughter, Bethany, asked me this weekend as we were playing together in our backyard. We had been talking about what I do when I go to work (a topic of discussion she is increasingly interested in). I told her that as a pastor I help people serve Jesus and tell other people about him. And that's when she asked me if I could teach her.
It was a good reminder that for me, being a pastor begins at home. As Bethany has gotten older, her "spiritual antennae" seem to be on overdrive, and she's full of questions about God. But until now, her questions have been about facts: Does Jesus have wings? Can we hold hands when we go to heaven? Can Jesus see me everywhere? This was the first time (that I can remember) she asked about doing something for Jesus.
I'm thankful that she asked the question, because I know lots and lots of teenagers (and adults, for that matter) who have heads full of facts about the Bible and theology, but they are very disinterested in putting that knowledge into practice. It was a good reminder to me that while teaching my girls about Jesus is very important, it doesn't mean a whole lot if I don't fulfill my role as a loving pastor who helps them in the right direction when it comes to living for Jesus.
So, Bethany and I had a short conversation about how to tell others about Jesus: there are people who don't know that God loves them no matter what and that they can trust in Jesus and live forever, and we can tell them! I must have bored her, because our conversation ended abruptly with "I want to play in the sand box!" But I'll be much more aware going forward that as I train and equip teenagers and their families to not just know Jesus, but serve him as well, I need to be doing that for my own girls first.
