3. There will be people who disagree with you.
Lord willing my son will choose a personal relationship with God; not everyone is going to understand why he chose it. There are people in this world who will disagree with his decision to follow Jesus, and there are even people in this world who are killed because of this controversial faith. But although we may find opposition, I want my son to remember that God will always be by our side to provide us with comfort and peace.
Temporary acceptance from the world will never be able to outweigh the importance of eternal acceptance from God. Although he may be mocked and ridiculed, he can stand tall knowing God’s love is on his side regardless of the opposition that faces him. His destiny is in the hands God, not the opinions of man.
4. God is perfect, but his followers are not.
Growing up I had a lot of resentment toward God, but what I failed to realize is that my resentment was due to the actions of some of his followers, not him. Not everyone who claims to love God is perfect, but we can always rely on God for perfection inside and out. We’re human. We make mistakes. We aren’t always going to do things right. I want my son to learn how to separate his frustration toward Christians from that of God, understanding that he doesn’t always have perfect followers.
I want my son to understand the difference between God, the perfect creator, and his creation, the imperfect who have a great need for a perfect savior.
5. You’re always welcome home.
No matter how lost you and I may get in this life, God has an open door policy that always provides us with an opportunity to come back home. God’s love always has vacancy. We’ve all made mistakes, but the beauty of the cross is that Jesus died for them. All of them. Your sins have been wiped clean, and your heart has been renewed by the grace of Jesus himself. Your mistakes do not define you. Your failures don’t have to haunt you. Your mishaps don’t need to be accounted for.
God forgives you for your mistakes, even if you have yet to forgive yourself of them. I want my son to know that he is always welcome back into the arms of God, no matter how dark his life ever becomes.
6. Church is people, not a building.
I want to teach my son to re-think the way culture has defined the definition of church, as it is not simply just a building that one attends on a weekly basis but instead who one is on a daily basis. I want my son to take ownership of his faith and be a living example of Christ. We are the church, and we are called to reflect the image of Jesus in our everyday lives.
When we take this reality to heart, every aspect of our lives then becomes a mission field, a space to worship in and a realm to shine our light in. The world is our canvas and the Holy Spirit wants to use us to create a masterpiece known as The Great Commission. I want my son to see the church as more than just what cultural-Christianity views it as. I want him to see the beauty of God’s church being practiced through everyday people like himself.
7. Theology matters because God matters.
I desire for my son to understand the importance of theology, his comprehension of God and knowing why he believes what he believes. Yearning to know more about God will come naturally as he grows deeper in relation with him, and taking the time to study God’s Word through a theological mindset will help open his heart and soul to a much deeper appreciation of his being.
Theology alone will not suffice, nor will passion by itself. I want my son to see the seriousness of learning more about the God that I pray he chooses to call, Lord. Theology matters because God matters.
