Family Connection
04.30.2012
“When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of Him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.”-John 12:9-11
When you were a child did you ever tell a lie? And then, in order to cover up that lie you told an even bigger one? I did. When I was starting 7th grade my parents were going through marriage issues and we moved hundreds of miles away to start over. I lost all of my friends and extended family and moved to a completely different area and went to a new school. This school was about 60 miles away from my home and I had to commute daily. I was scared to go to this school so I decided that I would tell everyone that I knew Karate (just so they wouldn’t mess with me). Not only did I tell people I knew Karate, I told them I was a brown belt and then used the knowledge I had gained from watching old Kung-Fu movies to establish my claim. I’m not sure if people really believed me but they never challenged me either. Unfortunately for the three years I went to that school, I lived a lie.
Looking back on that lie may not really seem like a big deal but that did define a part of my life. Not only did I live a lie by claiming to know something I didn’t, I had to invent bigger lies to continue to prove my claim. I never let people get too close because I had to keep up the pretense. This is just one thing I wish I could go back and change, but I cannot.
It is amazing the lengths we will go to in avoiding the truth. Just take a look at the above passage. The religious leaders would rather plot the death of two innocent men (Jesus and Lazarus) than admit that Jesus was in fact who He said He was and came to save us. The leaders were more concerned with the lie they believed about God and the box they had put Him in than to see the truth in front of them. Before I am too hard on these leaders, I must remember my years of lying.
So what do we do with this now? It is important to help the children in our lives know the truth about God and His ways. The best way to do that is by talking about Him with the children in our lives and looking into His Word together. This week we will be looking at the passage found in Matthew 25:14-30 in the elementary ministry. As we focus on Responsibility this month we will be looking at how God can teach us His ways with the gifts He has given us. Responsibility is showing you can be trusted with what is expected of you.
I also want to give you a couple of other resources to help you as parents connect with your children so you can teach them how to follow Jesus. If you are a smart phone user, please look into the ParentCue app from the Re-Think group. This app will provide opportunities for you to talk about the things of God with your children as you go throughout your days. There is content for both elementary and preschool children. I have also started to tweet and will send out helpful hints on how to teach your children along the way. You can find me at @humphrey_brett
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to walk with you and your family as we learn how to follow Jesus together.
Walking by your side,
Brett Humphrey
Pastor H
