“Be careful!” “Watch out!” “You aren’t being safe.” Any parent who has spent time on a playground has heard all of these exclamations come from the mouths of well-meaning caregivers, including myself. Especially when they’re small, we want to keep our kids in bubble wrap some days. Seriously, the term mama bear didn’t come from nowhere. We are wired to be their protectors.
But what if I were to say safe isn’t how we’re called to live as Christians?
Let’s do something. Take a minute and write down five attributes Jesus displayed in his ministry. Seriously, go grab some paper and a pen or open a notepad app on your phone. This post will still be here when you’re done…..
I’m not psychic, but I’m fairly confident no one wrote down the word safe. Your list may have words like loving, forgiving, wise, bold, humble, obedient or patient. But safe? Nope. Why? Because Jesus didn’t play it safe. If He did, He likely would have lived a nice, quiet life in Galilee, never fulfilling God’s promise of salvation. Think about that for a second. A safe life for Jesus would mean we would still lack the sacrifice needed to be in a relationship with our Creator. Whoa.
"Jesus didn’t play it safe."
We have two boys. When we dedicated them, we chose a verse to say with them before bed at night. For our eldest, Joshua, we chose Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Let me set this verse up. Moses, the previous leader of the Israelites, just died, and Joshua is set to take the position as leader. They are all set and ready to enter the promised land. Awesome, right? Well, there’s a problem in the fact that people already live there. Oh, and they are “giants.” Oh, and the people following Joshua aren’t really the best at following instructions, often making God pretty angry. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’d feel too confident as the leader taking charge.
Joshua rises to the challenge, but what precedes his ministry? One pretty epic pep talk from God found in Joshua 1:2-9. In that span of 8 verses, the words, “Be strong and courageous” appears three times! (Check out Deuteronomy 31 for a previous pep talk with another triplet reminder). God knew Joshua had a big task ahead of him. He knew he would need encouragement. What does God do? He commands him to be brave.
And I want my Joshua to be brave for God too. If we create a generation of safe Christians, we rob them of the opportunity to be the life changers, the torch bearers, the front lines for Christ. No, I don’t want my boys to go jumping off buildings (looking at you, Benjamin) or being unnecessarily risky, but I do want my kids to have the courage to obey God. Even when it’s scary. Strike that. Especially when it’s scary. I want them to say yes to a calling to volunteer, to plant a church, to move across the country, or even to become a missionary. I want my kids to have the strength to stand up for their beliefs in the face of certain adversity. Just like God commanded Joshua over 3000 years ago, I want my kids to be strong and courageous.
So what did faith in action look like for Joshua all those generations ago? Joshua was able to witness the walls of Jericho fall down, with only their footsteps, some trumpets, and yelling. Joshua got to watch the sun literally stop in the sky. And Joshua witnessed the fulfillment of God’s promise in the provision of the promised land. Joshua saw God move in some amazing ways because he obeyed.
How do we raise kids to be courageous? We need to be brave ourselves. The world is scary, and it is often not easy or popular to follow Jesus. But we need to do it anyway. Why? Because our kids are watching. So take that leap of faith and most importantly, intentionally talk to your kids about it. Tell them all the details, including the not so pretty ones. Tell them your fears, your doubts, and most importantly your reliance on a heavenly Father to get you through things. Don’t have kids? First, bravo for reading this far. Second, find one to mentor. If every child had at least one committed adult seriously investing into their lives regularly, it would literally change the world.
"Tell them your fears, your doubts, and most importantly your reliance on a heavenly Father to get you through things."
You may be thinking, my kids can’t know about all that bad stuff. They are too innocent. They are too young. They will think down on me. Or maybe one of another million excuses. Let’s head back to Joshua and a single line in the Bible I’ve honestly overlooked multiple times in the past. Joshua lives a nice, long life, eventually dying at 110 years old. His death and burial are referenced in Judges 2:9. What do we see in the next verses? “And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” I don’t know anyone who says people have “gathered to their fathers,” but it means that Joshua’s generation all died and the new generation was clueless about God and the miracles He just performed. Somehow they were so busy conquering the promised land that they missed investing into their kids. They were part of one of the most epic stories ever told, but the very next generation was lost.
So let’s not lose our kids. We need to be brave, whatever that looks like for each of us. Let’s show them what it means to be strong and courageous in God’s power. Let’s make sure we continue to tell the stories of when God showed up and showed off, in our own lives and in the lives of those who have come before us. Be real with your kids, both good and bad. But mostly, be brave.
We’re part of an adventurous story. Don’t limit it by not taking the first step.
Written by Jillian Goodhew,
Well Kids lead at Wellspring Church
