Nov 11
10
Christian Parents and Messed Up Kids—Could Church Be A Factor?
Yesterday, I talked about saying no to commitments to avoid stress. Ironically, I see Christian families devoting hours and hours a week to program activities at church while their kids see less and less of them. This is a major contributor to the kind of pain that drives drug abuse and alcohol consumption in kids who come from Christian families.
Remember, your children are your responsibility—not your children’s teachers, youth leaders or even close relatives. Parents shirk that responsibility when they are hanging out at committee meetings or teaching Bible studies while their children sit in a nursery or youth group—if that is the norm and their kids are frequently sacrifice time with them because of the demands of the church.
Don’t get me wrong—there is a time and place where such things are good. I myself have been a part of a major church plant that I believe impacted lives in amazing ways. However, when that church was taking up time that I needed to be spending with our newly adopted children, it was the right thing to do to walk away.
In fact, the leader of that church supported our decision to get involved with a home church because he was mature enough to realize it wasn’t about him—it was about our kids getting better. If parents are too involved in church to minister to their own children and lead them to Christ, all the other things they do will be wasted.
Especially when it comes to adopted kids, we cheat them when we seemingly place more value on fellow churchgoers than we do on them. If children are a blessing from God, shouldn’t we be enjoying that blessing, rather than avoiding it? God didn’t give them to us to be ignored.
So, consider your schedule—maybe keep a record of how much quality time with you your children are getting. Do you think it’s enough? I may get some flack for saying this but if not, maybe it’s the church choir that needs to go. Just something to consider…
