God, Grace, and Graduates
ATTENTION: Parents of rising 6th graders: Your students are welcome and invited to jump into Student MC life this summer!! The summer is filled with more summer time events like pool parties and outdoor activities. This would be a great time for new students to meet and get to know the other students.
The crazy thing is that these soon-to-be 6th graders will one day be walking across the stage with their caps and gowns. How quickly the time flies! The reality is we only have so much time with them under our roof. We can’t add on anymore time.We can’t take time away.
This past Sunday we celebrated our graduating high school seniors. It was such a sweet time. We shared the students’ future plans as they enter into adulthood. Some of them I have had the opportunity to lead as their Student Director from Junior High to High School. To know that they are graduating definitely brings tears to my eyes.
I think we often fool ourselves into thinking that we have more time than we really do. As parents we are called to lead, disciple, guide, and well…parent! We parent our students to the best of our abilities. We love them. We care for them. We do the hard task of discipline. We dry tears. We create memories. We walk with them through hardships. It’s a beautiful God-given opportunity and responsibility to disciple and raise Christ followers.
Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
Psalm 78:4
Looking back through the years it’s easy to get caught up in parenting failures or mistakes. “Did I raise them well enough? Will they be ready for this? Are they prepared and equipped? I should have done this or I regret doing that.” The good news is this: God is gracious. Even in our failures and mistakes, He is gracious. Even when we are weak and have short comings, He is gracious and still working all things for good. The biggest wrong we could ever make was crucifying our Savior,and yet God turned it for the ultimate good by raising Him from the dead defeating sin and death. So know that God is working even when it seems He’s not. Know that as much as you love your students which I’m assuming is A TON!!! God loves them even more. Rest in Him. Rest in His grace. Rest in the fact that even through your parenting mistakes, God was sovereignly working to form and shape your students and still is to this day!
For parents with students still in high school and junior high school, pursue them. Pursue them like Christ pursued us. Yes it will be awkward. Yes they may not want to spend time with you or they don’t seem to be enjoying themselves. It’s not about that. It’s about pursuing and loving them well. It’s about fulfilling the role as parent that God has given you. It’s about leading them to fully understand and embrace the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus and how it impacts every part of our lives. Encourage them to become a part of Student MC where leaders and brothers and sisters in Christ help come alongside you as parents and help students live in light of the gospel.
Church, whether you have students in this age group or not, pray for parents. Pray for the parents in your MC. Come along side them and invest in their teenagers. You are family in Christ. So no longer are they just your friend’s kids, their your nieces and nephews. If you’re not currently serving anywhere or have a knack for or just love students, come be a leader at Student MC and take hold of the opportunity to invest and disciple these students! We’d love to have you join us and help point these students to the gospel. If you’re interested, contact Arthur Lin at arthur@newcitymacon.org to find out more.