“Daddy, Why Don’t We Go to Church?”
The greatest evangelists in the church might very well be children. One child can get another child to agree to or at least try almost anything. This may include something like a visit to their home congregation. Children are also bold and opinionated and say things adults stopped saying when it became too socially awkward to do so. Kids ask straightforward questions. One of the most humbling questions a child may ask at home is, “Daddy, why don’t we go to church?”
Let’s face it, if you are a daddy you have no good answer to that question. Receiving an inquiry like that is similar to the out of service church member accidentally running into the preacher in town…they just want to run and hide! I guess you could answer by saying, “Well, we don’t love God,” or, “Well, we don’t love you enough to teach you and your siblings about Jesus.” These statements may seem harsh, but I am just being real. I have a hard time as a parent understanding how any grown-up with even a minimal knowledge of God could deny their children the opportunity of having a relationship with Him. This is why a question from a child to a parent about anything spiritual in nature usually ends up causing the adult to have a moment of internal pause.
It is interesting to observe in children the necessity of the most basic things in life. When they are infants we see their hunger for food and their desire for sleep, even to the degree of needing to be cuddled. As they grow we watch their intense motivation to learn and understand their surroundings. As they age we see their need for a sense of belonging and to love and be loved by others. Dropped right in the center of all of these basic needs is God! He is the one who feeds us and helps us rest in a spiritual sense. He is the one who helps us learn why we are here. He is the one who loves us and wants to be loved by us and has given us in the kingdom of heaven a place to call our own. No wonder why children ask about God! No wonder why they want to go to church!
Perhaps the most humbling thing we observe about a child’s innate desire to know God is when we begin to ask ourselves if we as adults have lost that desire. Are we so wrapped up in our schedules and pursuits that we no longer want to grow in the Lord? Is worship now a task rather than an offering? Is an investigation of the sacred text no longer on our list of things that we believe will lead us to enlightenment? Is sharing the good news with others more difficult for us than asking our friends to spend their money at our in-home Tupperware parties? When did we lose the child in us that longed for God?
I know am a sinner. Just like you, I am a work in progress. I have a lot of things I need to work on. I know have a long way to go and I understand that if there is anything good in me it is only because of Jesus.
But one thing I can promise you: My children will never ask me why we don’t go to church. Not only will my family attend the worship every time the doors open – we plan to take the church with us and be the church everywhere we go. I will not deny my family such blessings. Because that is what daddies are supposed to be doing. This is our purpose in the world.
“And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15
To Receive Every Article from A Legacy of Faith through Email for Free, Click Here
AUTHOR: Jeremiah Tatum
