So, I am going to share a Harley story, but in order to save judgment and embarrassment of some people I will leave the others in the story nameless.
This weekend we had lunch with a couple of people. Over the course of lunch Harley looks at one of them and asks, "Why don't you go to church?" It was very innocent, and no Randle and I didn't put her up to it. The person responds with, "I do sometimes." Harley asks again, "Why, don't you go to church?" The person responds again with, "I do sometimes." Harley who is too smart for her own good tilts her head to the side like a confused puppy and with very round eyes, says, "Oh, really? Where is it and what does it look like? Can I go sometime?" So the truth is this person doesn't go to church "sometimes", but goes very rarely. Harley knows this. I really don't think Harley's last remark was being sassy, but trying to figure out how she missed it. I made the decision (be it right or wrong) to let the person sit in the awkward moment. I made no comment whatsoever. The person then changes the subject. Well today Harley out of no where comes up to me and asks, "Why doesn't _______ go to church?" So I sat there a minute and then said, "Well, I can't say for sure, only they can tell you that, but I would guess that at the moment they are just out of the habit and used to the extra time on Sunday after working all week and they don't want to give it up." Harley then says, "Why won't they answer when I ask? _______ always says "I do sometimes" but that is not what I asked." I then explained that they were probably embarrassed that she was asking and it was easier to think about the fact that they do sometimes, and not about the other times when they don't. Then Harley wanted to know if I always went to church when I was an adult "you know since you didn't live with Grandma?" I unfortunately had to say no, that I hadn't always gone that there were almost 3 years where I didn't. But now I realize how important it is and that I was wrong to not go, so we go all the time, unless we are sick or something. What Harley said next caught me so off guard that I almost fell out of my chair. I didn't know ho to respond. She says, "When I grow up and I am an adult I think I'm going to be like __________ and only go to church sometimes." I had no idea what to say!!!!! So the only thing I could come up with was, "Well, I think you should stick to going to church all the time, but we will talk about this more later." I really don't know whether she is pushing my buttons (b/c she know it drives me nuts that this person won't go to church) or if she is trying to see how I will respond to see how I really feel about the subject, b/c I try to not talk about it to her (Harley), or if she is so smart that she is already at the age of 5 able to test my faith, and how important it is to me. So now thanks to some advice from my friend Denise I am going to turn the tables on Harley and ask some loaded questions. Hopefully this will help me weed out her motive. I think I am going to have my hands full with this child. I also hope to use this episode as an ice breaker with the unnamed person and help them realize how detrimental inaction is and just how much they are influencing children. I know with out doubt that love is present, but I just need to convey that even in this aspect love with out faith, and faith with out action, is pointless. I definitely want my children to feel loved, but that love that they feel does no good if they end up with out faith or with a dead faith.
So tonight during our Family Game night Randle and I approached the whole church attendance subject with both girls. Harley apparently doesn't even remember saying that she wants to only go sometimes when she grows up. We asked about favorite parts of church, why we should go, what happens if we stop, how do we feel when we miss, etc. We also asked if they think they will continue to attend when they live somewhere other than our house. Harley says yes, and Natalie actually said that she might stop for a little bit, b/c she will be able to do what ever she wants. Now when asked she says she wants to go and doesn't feel "made" to go. So who know? Anyway, it seems Harley was just looking for a reaction, whether it was to get a rise out of me or to just see how I really feel, we may never know. But we had a nice discussion, and for a couple of little kids, they actually have some pretty good insight and a great hold on Biblical Truths. While I think at least for the moment we have settled with the answer that church is needed and without it we could fall apart, I still plan on having the talk with the person this is centered around. Hopefully God will use this experience to soften a heart and bring back a stray sheep!
No comments:
Post a Comment