A Word From The Radio

So I was listening to the radio coming into work this morning, and on the Christian station, they were talking about grandparents taking kids to church, and how many people went to church because their grandparents took them. One told a story of being a greeter at church and helping one grandmother get her kids checked into the kid classes for the first time, and she was so happy they made since it is a big job getting kids ready, etc. Another story was of a kindergardener who basically preached to his class about Jesus (because public school teachers aren't allowed to, but he knew the answers that some kids was asking). When the teacher asked how he knew all that, he said his grandma took him to church. They were happy and all that, making a deal of it, and not wanting to be Mr. Negativity, I had one question: where were the parents?

You know who took me to church? My parents. Not my grandparents. You who takes the princesses to church? The Queen and I. Their parents. It's all well and good that the grandparents want to be involved in the kids' lives, but why aren't the parents taking their children? Sometimes, church can stick, but if the parents aren't going, then all the time these kids spend is going to be largely wasted because the parents' non-church lives are going to eventually derail anything learned in church. Kids learn by example and 99% of their example time will be spent with the parents who (with obvious exception where the parent is absent or incapable of going; I'm referring to those who simply refuse to go) apparently have no desire to be an example. Kudos to the grandparents, but the grandparents should be working on getting THEIR children to go to church rather than writing them off as hopeless and proceeding to the next generation.

It kind of steamed me a bit. I'll admit that.

I'm sure excuse number one is (ahem), "but the parents might not have the time." Once, I worked for an idiot, but this idiot gave me a superb tidbit of wisdom that never left me when I tossed the excuse out that I didn't have time for something. Think on this. When it soaked in, I knew he was right.

"You have time for what's important."

Could the parents have unforgiving bosses who make them work on Sunday morning? Of course. I'm not talking about them either. Could they have worked all night Saturday night? Of course, but they have a choice. I once worked overnights at Wal-Mart over the weekends while I was working 40+ hours at my current job. This means I worked 10pm-7am Saturday night, and then I went to church at 10:30am and played with the worship team. It was important to me that the children went to church, and that I took them, so I made the time to do it.

What is important to you?