The Greatest Lesson of All

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We have gone to the same church for close to thirteen years now. Since Oldest was 18 months old this has been the place where he felt – despite his challenges – the most ‘typical’. Families have come and gone but a core of us have stayed together and watched our kids grow up together.

Every year in January we have a Youth Sunday. Both services are conducted by our Youth program. We have one of the largest Youth Groups now – if not the largest – since we started attending. Needless to say we were very proud that Oldest was chosen to co-lead the both services with another boy who he’d grown up with. There is something tear jerking about watching kids you diapered in the nursery grow up before your eyes.

The testimonies just blew me away.

Oldest has always had a ‘direct connect’ with God. I didn’t have to teach him this – it was there from the time we stepped foot in the door. It has always been clear that God has a distinct purpose for him. I never paid much attention to the other kids – I knew them on a surface level. They are a neat group – oddness is almost a requirement to be part of their group and they think normal is vastly overrated. There is a lot of love and acceptance there and I wonder if they don’t do a better job of letting Jesus shine through them than we adults do sometimes with our fretting over small things that can come up in a church family.

When I was a teen I did not know God for a variety of reasons. I came to Christ because of Oldest. Public School was an endless nightmare for me – and later my younger brother. The teasing – the meanness…  I felt so alone in the world and like no one cared. I would have NEVER been able to stand up in front of almost 300 people and share my struggles.

But they did. One by one they shared their souls and it all came down to one thing – ‘No matter what happens – I always have Jesus.’

These kids know – at some of the hardest times of their lives to date – that they can FROG – Fully Rely On God. I still struggle with that sometimes. A friend of mine remarked that what adults can make so complicated – children see so clearly. I think she’s right.

The following Monday I saw a news alert that a kid had hit another kid in the head with a hammer at the school most of our Youth group attend. I prayed a hedge of protection around our kids and thanked God for allowing me to homeschool my kids. I noticed some postings on Facebook from our Youth Group about it later. They were a little stunned and saddened but not frightened. They put on the full armor of God before going out into the world.

And then I thanked Him for giving my kids and the kids I watched grow up that ‘Blessed Assurance’. If I teach my children nothing else I do believe they will be armed for a lifetime if they remember that. And I will continue to learn lessons from the children because they teach just as much as they have been taught.

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 KJV

“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. ” Isaiah 41:13 NIV

Peggy Dalley has been married to her best friend and husband for 14 years. She uses the eclectic approach to homeschool their three sons, 12, 10 and 7. Her interests include writing unit studies, Bible study, history and she is working hard to become a Proverbs 31:10 woman instead of a Proverbs 21:9 woman.