I'm in the process of raising four kids right now (12, 11, 8, 3). They are each quite different from the other, but they all have one thing in common. They are church kids. With few exceptions, when MVBC is open, they are there. They listen to sermons, take notes, sing hymns, and hang out with other church kids. And that's just with the church gathered. At home we pray together, read the Bible, talk about the gospel, etc.
My three-year-old received a chocolate cross in her Easter basket. (Really? A chocolate cross?) Yes, we bought her a chocolate cross. My wife carefully explained to her that we wanted to celebrate all that Jesus did by dying on the cross for sinners before being raised from the dead. To which she replied, "Can I eat 'Jesus died on a cross'?"
Yes, my kids are church kids.
Which is why I was eager to read Karl Graustein's book, Growing Up Christian. Graustein is the headmaster of Saint Simons Christian School on Saint Simons Island in Georgia. I'd like to visit there! He clearly knows kids, and his book is an excellent resource both for parents who want to know how to provide spiritual formation for their children and for teenagers wrestling with how to make the faith they've heard their own.
In the first part of the book, he covers many of the dangers of growing up in a Christian home: the danger of false assurance, the danger of failing to appreciate the privilege of a Christian home, and the danger of loving the world.
In part two, he carefully walks the reader through a biblical response to growing up Christian. This includes how to encourage humility, how to develop your own convictions, how to grow in gratitude to God, how to love Bible study, and how to trust God.
Finally, in the last three chapters, he addresses the battle against sin, the need for spiritual disciplines, and the importance of being a good steward of everythign you've received--including a childhood in a Christian home.
The content is extremely helpful, to the point, theologically solid, spot on. But what parents and their teenagers may find even more useful is how careful Graustein is to encourage the reader to think deeply about what he or she has read. He ends each chapter with exercises (often more than one) to drive the point of the chapter into the heart of the teenager. Ultimately, that's the Spirit's work, but a youth who really wants to be challenged is served well by reading this book slowly with pen in hand.
We have no guarantee that the Lord will save our children. That's God's business. Ours is to faithfully teach and model the Word of God. I've seen more than one parent paralyzed by fear that his child won't be saved or guilt that his child's refusal to repent and believe is somehow the parent's fault. It may be easier said than done, but as parents we have to learn to trust the Lord with those we love the most: our children.
In the meantime, we should be very thankful to God that he placed our children in a Christian home. Graustein grew up a church kid, and he's glad he did:
Growing up in a Christian home is a wonderful privilege. We have been given so much: godly parents, training in the Word of God, friends from Christian homes, support from a Christian church community, and most importantly an opportunity to know God at a young age. Throughout our lives, we are repeatedly taught about the love of God, his plan of salvation, ways to recognize and resist sin, and living for the glory of God.
That's Graustein's testimony. For those of us still in the throes of parenting, we can pray that one day our kids will agree with his words. In the meantime, consider reading Growing Up Christian with your teenager. It will be time well spent.
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