Last night was Eli's 2nd Grade Musical! Eli was chosen to play George Washington. He was a pro. He walked right up to the mic and said his lines loud and clear. Jeff & I would have never done that when we were his age! I'm so glad he has so much confidence! It makes a Momma proud!
The 2nd grade at Eli's school is huge. There are six different classes and I would estimate about 25 students in each class. That's a lot. The entire school is over 850 students. To put things in perspective, my hometown had a population of 1,432 people while I was growing up. My graduating class had 42 students I think!
As we were watching the kids sing their little hearts out, we were talking about how diverse the school is. Especially when compared to my elementary school. For instance, we were sitting next to a foreign couple, I'm not really sure about their ethnicity. The gentleman made a random comment in the middle of the performance to Jeff, saying, "Are you curious about our language?" To which Jeff replied, "uh, no?" It was so funny. The culture in which my boys are growing up in is completely different from how I grew up. I'm actually quite thankful for that! Let me tell you why...
Eli's best buddy in his class is a Hindu from India. We actually finally got to meet his mom last night. Jeff told her how much Eli talks about her son at home and she said the same. Eli's best girl friend in his class is from Vietnam. He adores her! She is a super sweet little girl and to my knowledge, she and her family are not believers. The field is ready...
There are many people out there who are supporters of Christian schools or even homeschooling. Let me tell you, I'm not really one of them. That is, unless the public schools near you are dangerous or completely unsuitable. That may surprise you, especially since I'm a Pastor's wife. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't "like" them. I think it's wonderful that teachers and parent's want to fill their children with God's word in a school setting. I think that's great. BUT...what happens when we as Christians all remove our kids from the public school system? Aren't we just removing the SALT and the LIGHT from the "world"? Who is going to share God's love with these children and families if Christians are not in the public schools? The field is ready...
Jesus himself address this concept in the most famous sermon ever preached, the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:13-16
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Jesus says in John 17:15
" My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."
Yes of course as parents, it's our job to protect our children from evil. But we've become SO concerned with protecting our children, that our hearts don't see the "fields" before us. We can really only protect our children from the world for a little while. Yes, this world is NOT our permanent home but it is our TEMPORARY home and like it or not we have to deal with living here. They need to be "in the world" while they are in our care, while we have the opportunity to use each and every teachable moment that the world throws at them.We have to teach our children how to have conversations with their friends about their faith. We have to teach them that Jesus is the ONLY way to salvation. We have to teach them to stand up to those who criticize Christianity. We have to teach them how to deal with persecution because of their faith. We have to teach them to live. If they are not "in the world" how can we do that?
Yes Bible knowledge is awesome! I am all for plugging their little minds with as much Bible teaching as we can. One of our boys favorite games to play is Bible trivia. They like to play at dinner time. Eli, at 7, already knows more than I did at 18...no lie! But Bible knowledge alone can't prepare them for life. We've got to put feet on their faith.
I have to wonder, are we setting up a generation of young Christians ill-equipped to handle the problems of this world, ill-equipped to handle real life "stuff" because we've chosen to shelter them from the world? I would much rather have my boys come to me in 2nd grade telling me that "so & so" believes in thousands of gods. (True story!) Exposing them to these types of situations creates opportunities for me to share the TRUTH with them. They in turn can share the truth with their friends.
I do realize that my oldest is JUST in 2nd grade and with 3 other little boys right behind him, we have a VERY LONG way to go! At some point I may even eat my words! :) But for us, for now, I see that public school is where the fields are and we are ready to plant!
I guess I'm just trying to say it's heart breaking to see so many Christians fleeing the "planting fields" for the already assembled AstroTurf.
