Last time I wrote about one of two questions I believe the Apostle Paul raises in his Letter to the Philippians. “If it takes a village to raise a child, which village does any of us want raising the children we’ve been given to love?” is the critical question.
The second question Paul raises is about what we hope for our children. And we should have hopes for our children, should we not?
I don’t mean necessarily that they pursue a certain career path, attend a particular school because we did, or marry a specific person of our choosing. But isn’t it true that if we value being committed to having healthy relationships with other people; making personal sacrifices to help others; working hard; being honest; caring what happens in our community; getting an education; knowing, trusting, following our Lord–that we would hope our children be led to recognize and value their own versions of the same?
And doesn’t it seem reasonable to think that if we have those sorts of hopes or goals in mind, we can more effectively model and exemplify, teach and encourage those sorts of values and beliefs in and with our own lives.
I heard a man say that “faith is caught more often than it is taught.” About how much else does that apply for us who are parents, or who want to try to take seriously the roles we are called to play in the village that is raising other children as well?