Wednesday, July 8, 2009

On Sunday morning

Do you take your little children to church? Every week? It's hard work to get them ready, fed, dressed up, hair brushed, shoes tied, and out the door. But what could be more important than teaching them that one day a week, at least, we honor the One who made us and all that surrounds us? They need to see that their parents take the time and go to the trouble.

Never again in their lives will you get the chance to teach your children what they learn in church, even if they squirm and don't seem to listen. They are nevertheless absorbing. If you think that you'll just sit them down later and tell them all about your faith, you may very well find that they have grown not only older but busier and strangely suspicious of all you have to say.

Some parents still quote the old error that goes, "I don't want to indoctrinate my children. When they're older, they'll make up their own minds." This means that you don't have to teach them anything. You can sleep in on Sunday. And you leave to them the towering task of finding out what's true as they stumble through life without a map.

I've learned this first-hand. You don't get a do-over on this one. Better go start the car.