They’re always in the sink.
6:00 am or midnight.
Crusted with bits of oatmeal.
Or twelve-hour-old Coco-Puffs.
Cereal bowls.
Until recently, I thought passing faith onto kids was like filling up a cereal bowl:
-
Fill them up with Jesus.
Make sure it looks good.
Do it again tomorrow.
But the picture of “container” falls short. We’re not just pouring faith into our kids until they’re filled up. That limits the full dynamics of faith.
I think I’ve found a better metaphor: Currents.
There’s a job in areas of rural England that seems pretty interesting to me: River keeper. I know, it sounds like a character from a Middle-Ages-type legend. Maybe the guy who raises the bridge over the moat. But here’s a quick peak into their job:
River keepers are responsible for the maintenance, management and presentation of fisheries. Some of the practical tasks include:
-
– weed cutting
– bank maintenance
– managing trees
– undertaking conversation projects
– fish stocking
– leading guided walks
– providing security over the site
In short, a river keeper makes sure the river is still around in 100 years so others can enjoy it.
The river is always moving.
The area around it is constantly changing.
And it needs tending.
My wife and I have three kids (ages 10, 8, and 6). It struck me recently that it’s not good enough for them just to know Jesus. It’s not enough for them to believe the right things, act the right way, and behave like good little Christian kids.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m really proud of each of them. Our kids are amazing people filled with mind-boggling potential. I love the way they explore their faith with questions, tensions and (often surprisingly profound) thoughts about God. Their faith is a big deal for each of them.
But their faith isn’t just for them.
They have to give it away.
It has to outlive them.
It struck me that my wife and I have to live and lead in such a way that allows our children to share faith with THEIR kids one day. Our kids have to be able to give it away to THEIR friends. They have to impact THEIR world for Jesus. And their world will be different than ours.
And so we tend the current.
Admittedly, some of those tasks that fill our days seem a little dull. (I doubt any River Keeper gets up in the morning eager to clip back a few over-hanging boughs or carefully place a few trout eggs into a pool). But those tasks are necessary to ensure that the river is still here long after we’re gone.
In the same way, we need to lead, parent, and serve in such a way that our eye is always on those who will follow us.
Our faith is not our own.
We aren’t just filling containers.
We’re tending currents.
