Know the Author

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” We all know that God will give us tasks to do that are heavy, carrying lots of work, and sometimes the end result is not seen for years. One of these tasks that many of us have been given is raising children up in the faith. Fulfilling the works of Proverbs 22:6 is arguably one of the most difficult tasks we are given, yet also one of the most important. We are raising up the next generation of pastors, worship leaders, children’s church directors, and disciples witnessing the good news to all ears. But this is not easy work.

My little one, Presley, is only two years old, hardly out of diapers and just beginning to speak her mind. But already I’ve felt burdened by the Lord to start introducing her to Him. She’s been going to church since she was only a few weeks old, but she’s starting to learn that on Sundays, we go to church to learn about and celebrate Jesus. When we get there, she gets a sausage biscuit and a juice and goes to her Sunday school class while mom and dad go to the service. Lately though, I’ve felt like it’s time to start doing more.

As scary as it is to take a toddler out in public while they’re in their wild, all over the place, unpredictable kid phase, we started taking Presley into our discipleship and worship nights. We have to actively work to keep her entertained, quiet, and occupied long enough to get through a service or a group and still try to soak in the message or whatever work God is speaking to us. However, one night at a worship service has already made me realize one very important lesson: this work is not in vain.

As we sat in our seats, worship going strong, 2 bags of snacks into the evening and coloring on every single offering envelope in sight, I looked around and realized the sight that my daughter was taking in: a mass of people standing and worshipping the living God, hands raised, tears flowing, believers unashamed of singing out loud praises to their King. Even though she may not have been watching them the whole time, a seed was planted that night. But as I stood there thanking God for the opportunity to raise my family up in His church, He gave me a glimpse of a vision – my daughter, with the full extent of water works, asking me to take her to the altar so she can accept Jesus Christ as Lord of her life.

This of course brought my own water works. But it made me realize that all the frustrations of having to step out of the service with a fussy child, hoping and praying that the sound of crinkling snack wrappers doesn’t bother anyone around you, walking around the back of the sanctuary to settle a restless baby, are all our own forms of ministry. The work we do to raise up our children in the church and have their own relationship with Jesus starts right now, with those littles who are just beginning to learn who Jesus even is. This labor is hard, but it is not in vain. The day we watch our children profess with their own mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord, as they are baptized and made into a new creation, we will find that every messy and frustrating Sunday (and every other day of the week as we live out our own faith in front of them) was all worth it.

Are you a parent who has lived through this experience, or are you going through it yourself? I would love to hear your testimony and see you experience encourage other parents of littles who are in the middle of it themselves! And as always, let me know how I can be praying for you.

Blessings,

Tori Carver