INFLUENCERS

One of the biggest influences on my Christian faith was my grandmother.  Indeed, she was this for many in my family. Her shining example of Christian love, kindness and forgiveness was bright enough for us all to follow. Her love and devotion to Jesus Christ was rivaled only by her love and devotion to teaching and to children. She was a teacher for 35 years and her teaching took her many places – from an Indian reservation in Kansas to a one room schoolroom in rural Iowa. My grandma felt strongly about her call to become a teacher and the importance of children – in our lives and in the eyes of God. As a teacher, she of course read many books, but the one she picked up over and over again and the one most important to her, was the Bible. She had a thirst for God’s word and used it as a guide to her daily life. The summer my grandmother died, we found one of her old, well read, tattered Bibles in which she had written many notes in the margins. I would like to share a couple of the Bible verses that my grandma had underlined in her Bible - some of her “teacher’s prayers”. 

Matthew 18:5

Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Proverbs 22:6

Train children in the right way,
and when old, they will not stray. 

These verses remind us of the blessedness of children and affirm the importance of our presence in their lives. We are not all teachers by profession, but we have all been blessed to be parents and as parents we are one of the greatest teachers and influences in the lives of children. God calls us to grow their minds and spirits and to nurture their faith, in Him and in each other and to create a welcoming environment wherever we are so all of God’s precious children can shine in His light and experience His love.