I love live music, and I want my children to be exposed to non-pop music as much as possible. So when our friend invited us to hear her perform with her symphony orchestra, my husband and I decided to go as a family.
All went well until intermission. As the children returned to their seats, an older woman in front of us turned and said roughly, "Your children are kicking the seat." I hadn't noticed anyone kicking, but I apologized anyway. And our family left before the concert was done because the woman had ruined our evening.
I wish I could have told her how I felt. I made the effort to be at a performance for the sake of my friend and my children. And these children are the future of live, orchestral music. They are the ones who will pick up the violin or oboe and someday fill our halls with beautiful music. I didn't mean to distract from this woman's enjoyment, but I knew that there was so much more to our outing than enjoyment. I just wish she saw it that way too.
My reason for sharing this little story with you is not because I want to rant about some stranger, but because it illustrates how we as parents will make the effort to bring our children to places and events when it is important to us. Some parents drive for hours and pay hundreds of dollars to bring their children to Disneyland. It's important to them. Some parents bring their children to sporting events and teach them to ice-skate, throw, or kick as soon as the child can walk. It's important to them. These parents, like me when it comes to music, are doing what they do because they want to pass something onto their children.
And yet, when it comes to bringing children to a worship service for a few hours, some parents freeze. They'd rather sleep in and stay home. Or go to a park. Or go to Disneyland. They don't see why they should go to church, especially if there is no "children's program", because sitting with their children means that they, the parents, aren't really fully absorbing the message or paying full attention. And what will other people think? they wonder. When their child starts to wiggle, they see heads turn and they feel their cheeks burn. Is it worth it?
Author Melissa Kruger writes this in her devotional Bible study Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood:
While the paintings that hang in church nurseries always represent [Jesus and the children] as a peaceful scene, I have a feeling it was much more complicated. Surely as [the parents] traveled to get their children to Jesus, there were diapers that needed changing, hungry mouths to feed (and no a Chick-fil-A in sight), arguments, whining, dirty hands and feet, tired children, exhausted, and a myriad of other obstacles. It would not have been an easy journey.
But for these parents, it WAS worth it. Even when the disciples scolded them for bothering Jesus. And for everyone else there that day, it was worth it too, because they saw Jesus respond to these children with "Come." I'm sure the disciples took notice. And as well as anyone else there who had thought that the children were distracting them from Jesus's teachings.
As my husband and I prepare to bring our children to our church's prayer night on Thursday, I fill my mind with this image. Even though I spend most of the evening walking around with the toddler and trying to keep him quiet and out of trouble, I know that I am taking the first steps to bringing him to Jesus. Also, I remind myself that other people need to see the children there, even if they are a little distracting. Without them, the body of Christ wouldn't be complete.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
Children are, after all, the future of God's kingdom.
My reason for sharing this little story with you is not because I want to rant about some stranger, but because it illustrates how we as parents will make the effort to bring our children to places and events when it is important to us. Some parents drive for hours and pay hundreds of dollars to bring their children to Disneyland. It's important to them. Some parents bring their children to sporting events and teach them to ice-skate, throw, or kick as soon as the child can walk. It's important to them. These parents, like me when it comes to music, are doing what they do because they want to pass something onto their children.
And yet, when it comes to bringing children to a worship service for a few hours, some parents freeze. They'd rather sleep in and stay home. Or go to a park. Or go to Disneyland. They don't see why they should go to church, especially if there is no "children's program", because sitting with their children means that they, the parents, aren't really fully absorbing the message or paying full attention. And what will other people think? they wonder. When their child starts to wiggle, they see heads turn and they feel their cheeks burn. Is it worth it?
Author Melissa Kruger writes this in her devotional Bible study Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood:
While the paintings that hang in church nurseries always represent [Jesus and the children] as a peaceful scene, I have a feeling it was much more complicated. Surely as [the parents] traveled to get their children to Jesus, there were diapers that needed changing, hungry mouths to feed (and no a Chick-fil-A in sight), arguments, whining, dirty hands and feet, tired children, exhausted, and a myriad of other obstacles. It would not have been an easy journey.
But for these parents, it WAS worth it. Even when the disciples scolded them for bothering Jesus. And for everyone else there that day, it was worth it too, because they saw Jesus respond to these children with "Come." I'm sure the disciples took notice. And as well as anyone else there who had thought that the children were distracting them from Jesus's teachings.
As my husband and I prepare to bring our children to our church's prayer night on Thursday, I fill my mind with this image. Even though I spend most of the evening walking around with the toddler and trying to keep him quiet and out of trouble, I know that I am taking the first steps to bringing him to Jesus. Also, I remind myself that other people need to see the children there, even if they are a little distracting. Without them, the body of Christ wouldn't be complete.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."
Children are, after all, the future of God's kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment