The Growing Faith of Future Generations

Reading back through my Grow Christians contributions over the past eight years, I was struck by how much my writing focused on parents and caregivers supporting children in their faith. I guessed that was the point; the wise adults taught, while the innocent children learned. What stood out clearly as I read through my essays was a pivot. Right when my children hit adolescence, my guidance quickly took a back seat to their growing independence, ideas, and emerging leadership within our church home. 

It was never about me. It was always about them, equipping them to use their gifts and take the reins, while the adults stood in awe. Amazement at their growth arrived at an unexpected point this year.

Summertime is not my favorite. Ordinary Time is never ordinary in my house, no matter how peaceful I aim to be. No one is writing a country song about my carefree jump off the end of a pier into a beautiful lake. You will not find me lounging poolside, tending to the grill, building a beautiful garden, or living my best vacation life. 

I do have treasured summer memories, though, and most often they are the moments when Jesus felt especially close. The cool evenings around a campfire with close friends, melting popsicles creating sticky children, and Vacation Bible Camp songs, which I promise I can still sing by heart. 

It wasn’t long ago that I was crammed in a church pew with my first “mom” friend, eight kids sprawled across our laps. Our oldest daughters, who wore the role quite well, were leaders at Bible Camp for the first time. Crafts were spread haphazardly across the kneelers, as they led their faithful charges through a beautiful version of Jesus Loves Me, complete with hand motions. 

Fast forward a few years, and I’m back in the same sacred space hoping to catch a glimpse of the concluding performance. This time, I snuck in on my own, without any kids draped across me. I guess what didn’t feel so long ago, in fact, was. My youngest two children, now in the middle of middle school and just on the cusp of adolescence, stood in the front of the church, relishing their leadership role as helpers for the younger. My older two children were off preparing for a service trip in the coming weeks, working jobs to support their room and board in a new city. 

During a ten-minute performance, my mind wandered back over the past decade. I smiled, reminded of the hours my family invested in this parish across multiple children’s ministries. There’s no way I could count how much our church has invested back into our family, especially in the times we needed it most. What was unexpected was the realization that it was time for me to step back and let my daughters take the reins. 

The children of our parish aren’t looking to the adults quite as much as I originally imagined while bouncing a baby behind the back pew next to the organ. I don’t want to minimize our role as adults, but there is something special about the role of the “big kids” in a church family. And witnessing this pivot for our family is nothing short of magic. 

The younger children are looking to you now, my dear girls. They’re looking to you with questions, for guidance, to understand and make sense of the world. They’re seeking clarity when that Godly play lesson doesn’t make sense. And understanding about why it’s fine for a mouse to stand next to the manger when Jesus was born because that’s the costume that fits. They feel seen when you help them pick up their ice cream off the parish hall floor and when you reveal a secret stash of Easter eggs when they didn’t collect as many as they’d hoped. 

More than anything else, they see your growing faith. They see your kindness, your advocacy, your love for the world around you. Your contribution makes a difference. There’s no question in my mind.

It’s our prayer that you carry with you, wherever this world takes you, the knowledge that your impact matters to your church family. And if you grow up, like your mother, and don’t look forward to the long, ordinary days, just remember the hand motions, hymns, kind friends, and the promise that Jesus feels closer in the summer.