You know how annoying us new parents are? So many pictures. So many conversations steered towards our kids. Like they get it already, these little knuckleheads are what you're all about now.
As a pastor and a parent I am humbled by the fact that God instituted the family thousands of years prior to creating the church. It means that the local church as we know it, is not the number one Disciple-Making organization. At least not ideally.
So here’s the thing I learned from watching my girls dance. They learn from mimicking what they've seen. We never sat them down like we have with their ABC's and trained them. They just know that if I raise my hands when Elmo says so- then they do it too.
They have seen kids at daycare spin around then they do that too. This isn’t a revelation to parents but just think! We instinctively know that more things are learned through example than instruction so why doesn’t our gospel transfer reflect that?
We overemphasize the things we teach to people and ignore the life-changing power of our example. I hear people say what they told someone to do and what advice they gave. What if we put in half as much effort into the example that we set as we do into what we think are teaching moments.
How much easier would it be for the world to learn how to follow God if there were hundreds of examples to mimic. Truly dedicated Christians walking and dancing around their world. Without even realizing it, they would begin to mimic what they liked.
