In the throes of comparison, I lost sight of my ‘little’ love offering that goes a long way.
Her comment went something like this:
“Well…every night, they gather as a family, and everybody reads for an hour. Even the parents.”
What landed on my heart was this: You’re not doing it right. If you want your kids to succeed, you should do what they’re doing.
I retreated, shamed for my ‘less than’ attempts to educate our sons.
In the churning that followed, God’s Quiet Voice whispered into my gutted heart: “You’re teaching them about my son, Jesus.”
The tears came heavy as I fell into the embrace of God’s kind words to me.
It’s easy to overlook the significance of discipling children as a love offering, isn’t it?
Among His instructions to them, God directed the Israelites to teach His ways to their children repeatedly. “Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” (Deuteronomy 6:7) Discipleship is at the forefront of God’s mind.
But too often, “training a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6a) gets relegated into the ‘it’s just’ pile.
- It’s just bedtime prayers or a few verses at dinner before sprinting to the next event.
- It’s just some words before school they won’t remember.
- It’s just a conversation on the way to ortho about the classmate who yells at everyone.
- It’s just a little prayer over the test he’s worried about.
Our culture values tangible results like multi-sport athleticism, honor roll, being head of the class, and playing multiple instruments while being popular at the same time.
Comparison creeps in.
Without a moment’s notice, our love offering of discipleship feels minuscule and unimportant.
When Jesus told his disciples to feed his hungry listeners, they foraged the crowd for groceries enough to feed an army. There were “just five loaves and two fish” – too little to consider noteworthy. What good is that with this huge crowd? (John 6:9)
But God is the master mathematician. Such a small love offering fed more than 5000 hungry souls, with leftovers for that night’s dinner. (This is the ultimate demonstration of ‘cook once, eat twice!’)
Many years after her comments stung my vulnerable mama’s heart, my soul heard something different. The conversation with my son went something like this:
“Sounds like things are pretty tough with ____ at school. What do you think about praying for him?”
“Good idea, Mom.”
“Do you know what to pray for him?”
“Of course, Mom. I know how to pray. You and Dad taught me.”
I stood outside his door, eavesdropping on his conversation with God. In the quiet once again, God’s words returned to me as the tears gently fell: “You’re teaching them about my son, Jesus.”
Precious reader, not a moment is wasted discipling your children and loving them toward following Jesus.
Yes, they and the world benefit from learning to read and write, compute equations, and sculpt masterpieces. But the seemingly little you offer instructing them in the ways of Jesus (in between Ubering them to practice or chatting while folding laundry) is what “just five loaves and two fish” were to a crowd of thousands.
A love offering that feeds a soul hungry for God’s love.
Well done, friend.
About the Author:
Jennifer Sakata is a speaker, author, and soon-to-be podcaster who nurtures joy at the corner of real grace and real life. Her passion is helping distracted women overcome the overwhelm of ‘doing more’ so they can receive God’s grace to live God’s grace. Her favorite moments as a workshop and retreat leader are those thin-veiled glimpses when someone recognizes God’s grace rewriting their story.
Jennifer lives the grace life with her husband Craig and their two Earthside teen sons.
Jennifer celebrates publication in four devotionals, including her most recent, Trusting God: 31 Days, 31 Women, 31 Stories, One God. Keep an eye out for Jennifer’s upcoming podcast, Living the Grace Life with Jennifer Sakata.
Introduce yourself and connect with Jennifer at jennifersakata.com or on her socials.
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