The world is very quick to point out the failings and imperfections of Jesus’ Bride, the Church. As parents, we must be very careful to give our children a picture of the church that is grounded in biblical truth, the beauty of Christ, joyful community, and yes, sometimes painful reality. But let’s be diligent to make sure we focus on the first three, and not simply the last.
Here are some thoughts to consider from Tedd and Margy Tripp:
The family of God gets the reputation we live out in our homes. Children are prepared for their experience of the church family by their experience in our own families…Our experience of those sensory family relationships gives meaning to spiritual relationships.We must train our children to think of the church as their spiritual family.
Church isn’t the place where you are obligated to go, but the place you want to be, just as you want to be with your family. Your spiritual responsibilities aren’t what you have to do, but what you love to do, out of the same kind of commitment you feel toward your family. Psalm 122:1 is our song as we prepare for the Lord’s Day, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’”
(Instructing a Child’s Heart, copyright©2008, pages 134-135.)
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