Last night after we finished Service. Andres calls me and asks me where I am. Usually I have to go pull him out of the middle school service, because he always ends up playing video games or billiards when his service finishes. Last night was different, he told me to hurry because he could not wait to tell me what he learned. (My heart skipped a beat). You see before going to the service we had a huge argument, he didn’t want to wear jeans, or shoes. If it was up to him, he would always be in sandals and shorts, a true Florida boy forever. I allowed my anger to get the best of me and yelled forget it we are not going anywhere, so he said ok and went to his room. 

Except, I felt a nudge that I could not ignore and I said the enemy will not win. I got up and went into his room and said, not the devil, not a fight, not a thing will keep us from going to church tonight. So please get dressed and he did. Thank you God! I feel so much peace in knowing that the message he received had touched him in a way that not a video game or billiards or anything could keep him from wanting to share it with me, there was no doubt God is working in him. 

It turns out his service was about the relationship you have with your parents. How we should honor our parents. He looked at me and said he was sorry for behaving how he did. I apologized as well, said we were both wrong. He was amazed beyond belief how God knew that he needed this message. They also talked about how being like Jesus is not just for Sundays and how we need to make sure that we remember that, when we walk out of church. The pastor gave him a candle to serve as a reminder. He told me how true that is, he said many times at school other kids curse and I curse and I should remember that it’s wrong and I should remind them as well. 

Then he asked me from a scale of 1-10 how much of Jesus I see in him. I had to think about it, because my son has an amazing heart, but like all of us, we get pulled into this world and we don’t live like we should. He looks at me and says, say the truth. I told him I was planning on it. So I said 5 and I explained why. He agreed. I then asked him, how much of Jesus did he see in me? Without hesitation he said 10 for sure. I laughed and said really? But I said, no, I just yelled at you and lost control before coming here. He said, yeah your right so an 8. 

The fact that he sees a 10 filled my heart and soul. It gives me peace to know that I am not just going through the motions. That I am not just going to church, serving and going home and not setting an example every single day. The way I talk about others, The way I see the world. In my conversations with my him, in the way I humble myself knowing that I make mistakes, in my allowing him to see that I am not perfect, that I am human. By not lying to him, even when what I am telling him may change the way he sees me. Making sure that I am not just talking about God, but doing my very best to live out what God calls us to do. I haven’t always set the best example, but I tell him that. I tell him how aware I am of my mistakes. I tell him where I am weak and where I fail. 

I think sometimes we try to play God to our children. We set this unrealistic example of what being a Christian is. We pretend we are perfect. We play a role that they can never live up to. What happens when we play God, is that we end up losing them, we lose their trust. We think that just because they are children that they don’t see the hypocrisy. They see it. They even call us out on it, but we get defensive about it. What are we so afraid of? That they will judge us? Who taught them to judge? That they will change the way they see us?  Do you see others differently because of their faults and mistakes? Do you see, they are what we have lead them to be. Lead by example. Are you aware of who you are, while trying to preach to your children to be like Jesus? 

We are their parents, we think that we always know better, that we know more. When are we going to see that we live in a broken world that will do everything and and anything to pull them away from us, but more importantly away from God. Let them see that we are broken, how we are broken and how we do it all through Gods strength. Not our own. You see, this world has no problem being real in all it’s brokenness. Yet, we hide our real. This world has no problem being deep with it’s emotions, words and pain. Yet, we hide ours. This world has no problem talking about sex, porn, drugs, partying, alcohol and how it is all so AMAZING! Yet, we hide our AMAZING SAVIOR, because by hiding our broken parts, we leave no room to show His strength. Leading all those looking in on our lives to believe that we are bunch of hypocrites. Which we are. And in turn, we are raising the future generation to be the same. 

So ask yourself this. Are you just going through the motions? Are you asking your kids to believe in a God that you don’t reflect, that you don’t represent? Today, sit down, ask your child, how much of Jesus do they see in you? 

Let this be a wake up call. Don’t get stuck in the motions, don’t get stuck in playing God. Don’t hide your brokenness, be transparent, because then and only then will we really lead our children and others to Jesus.