I sat behind a couple of young girls yesterday who were playing church. Oh, how I remember the days… hair fixed “just so,” little white shoes, my own bible, sitting with my friends, begging to put the family offering in the plate, trying not to get caught writing notes during the sermon…
Some things never change… I still try to have the kids look “just so,” carry my bible and tithe envelope every week, smile and greet those around me during welcome time, pay attention and take notes during the sermon…
This is not a cynical self-indulgent rant about all that is wrong with “church.”
All throughout God’s kingdom, children learn from imitating their parents and playing. I believe that we learn our values from that playtime of long ago and pass that on to our kids; look your best when you come together to worship – show God that he is worth your time, have the tools that you need to learn the word, fellowship, make connections with those who are also growing in God, listen for a word.
One of my favorite verses has always been Proverbs 22:6 –“ Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” I guess I always had comfort that my parents taught me how to play church, and now I can teach my kids – so that when they are older they will know which way to go.
And we never stop learning... The last time I memorized a bible verse was last summer, when I was going through some hard times. When we were little, we memorized them all the time. I’m thinking I can learn from some old lessons…