I Confess That I'm Still Working On My Penmanship

How do we teach people to live out their faith?

  
When my children were very small, they would come home from daycare with papers that had letters to trace, and pictures of something that started with the corresponding letters on them.  Amanda and I would help them to trace the letters and then color the pictures.  For the first few times with each letter, we would actually take their little hands in ours to do it.  I remember wrapping my adult sized hand around Taylor’s little one and helping her move the crayon over those dotted lines several times.  We would move our hands together until she learned to make the movement on her own.  Maybe it was an excuse to hold hands with her, and then a little later with Nick, for just a little longer, but it was the best way to help them develop the skill when they were starting out.  Eventually, we would make letters on the paper and encourage them to mimic what we had just written.  And we would explain why.   If they didn’t shape their letters in a certain way, what was formed would be unrecognizable.  Once they had the basics, it was up to them to practice and become better.  And they did.  Well kind of… I can read their handwriting MOST of the time LOL.  (And don’t get me started on Shae!  But we didn’t get her until later though, so I’m not totally responsible for her handwriting.)

  

Teaching people how to live a life of faith is like that in many ways.  When we’re new, more mature followers must take our hands and guide us to living by demonstrating actions that become habits.  Then when we get a little “older” in our faith, begin will mimic what we see them doing.  Likewise, our ability to explain why becomes more and more important.  If we do things simply because “we’ve always done it this way,” then we will never grow and become better at living lives of faith.  What we form will be unrecognizable because it isn’t really a faith.  It’s simply a motion.  And finally, people have to come to a faith of their own, a belief in Christ that is theirs personally, before they can move beyond simply mimicking movements to a practice that helps them grow in Christ.

  

My parents taught me the basics and gave me examples.  My pastors, Sunday School teachers, and church family taught me the practices and supported me through prayers and encouragement.  But until I came to the realization that Christ was my Savior and then started learning what that meant; I was unrecognizable as a disciple.  I may have even been a reasonable facsimile, but I was nowhere close to being the real thing.  I thank God for people who were willing to wrap their lives around me and guide me until I was ready to start to live for Him on my own.  Yes, I’m still imperfect.  But I’m getting closer minute by minute, day by day. 

  

Live out your faith boldly.  Live like He is the vibrant and sustaining presence only He can be in the midst of some of the worst things that life has to offer.  Wrap your life around others who are unsure how to form a life of discipleship on their own as often as you can.  Be a loving hand wrapped around the hand of someone you love and care about, so that you can both practice and become better at living lives that glorify the God of your salvation. 

  
And remember to…

Love in Christ always,
  
Chris