What Jesus To Follow?

Christian parents typically want their children to have an active Christian faith. One that they won't walk away from at some later point, or when the turbulent seas of life show up. One that guides, directs, shapes, and informs their life. But, what is the cost of such a life? What do we as parents have to surrender if our children truly take hold of an active Christian faith? Essentially, what is the cost?

What if the cost involves suffering? Moving away? Having to explain to family members why your child walked away from a "promising" career, for .... "that".

Again the question: What's the cost of my child having an active Christian faith?

What if Jesus called your child to serve him in a war torn and poverty stricken country? What if Jesus calls your child to love the unlovable, and contract a fatal illness like Hepetitis C or AIDS via accidental exposure? What do we do when the call of Jesus begs the very thing we didn't want for our kids? They're potential suffering. Is an active faith worth the cost?

On the flip side, what if our kids never actually meet the Jesus that changes lives, hearts, and calls us to loose the chains of injustice? What if our kids only ever see church as a blueprint for morality, and a get out of hell free card? What if our kids never suffer? Is a passive faith worth the cost?

Let's reexamine the Jesus we are inviting our kids to follow.

Does he:

1. Want us to be happy, healthy, and wealthy?
2. Want us to be good moral citizens?
3. Want us to subscribe to a certain political party?
4. Want us to pity the children in the 3rd world?
5. Want us to just dot the i's and cross the t's of obedience?

Or, does he:

1. Invite us into his eternal / kingdom work? (Ps. This work gets messy sometimes.)
2. Love us unconditionally, and require us to love others the same way?
3. Call us to co-suffer with him?
4. Call us to loose the chains of injustice? (Not just pity poor kids.)
5. Promise us hope, peace, and restoration after this life?

The crux here is that, the Jesus we present our children, is most likely the one they'll follow. And, the Jesus of scripture wants their entire life. He may call them to an unsafe, unlikely, and unimaginable place of service. Or, he may not. But, that's not for us to decide. That's up to him. Either way, he wants them to transform his world, with and through him.

Leading our children to have and embrace an active Christian faith, is a risky thing. We serve a God who is active and who's love knows no limits. That might just mean he'll call you, me, and our children into a challenging place of service. The challenges can be emotional, physical, spiritual, or all of the above. But, one of the ways that we can live out our faith as parents, is to release our children to God and to his call on their lives. No matter how risky that call may be. Remember, we worship a God who will right all the wrongs of this world in the next. Our hope is not in the here and now.  

Again, lets be honest. Jesus wants the very same for us too. Let's make sure we take our kids along as we love and serve the real Jesus of the Bible.

And yes, He does call all of us co-suffer with him.