Hope For The Old Folks.
It’s not uncommon to desire hope for our children. That’s a good thing, but I think it’s really just how old folks look for their own hope. We (the old) put our worries on our children and then offer them hope so that we can feel hopeful. Tracking?
Sure you are.
With all my churchyness, I hear a lot of adults voice concerns about churches shrinking, membership declining, Sunday schools drying up and only a handful of kids getting confirmed.
Well as a hack professional allow me to assuage your worries with these two words:
SHUT UP.
Hmmm… Perhaps I should rephrase that. On second thought, No. I would only make it worse. But I can explain.
I like to bike. In mountain biking there’s an important concept you learn early on in navigating single track:
Look where you want to go.
Why? Because where your eyes look your body will follow.
This last weekend I was surrounded by church folk who were doing just this: Looking where they want to go. Rethinking. Reimagining. Reworking. Rather than focusing on what’s wrong they are looking at what’s right. And similar conversations are happening all over in worshiping communities around this country and around the world. They’re sharing a story of hope. They’re telling the story of where they want to go.
It’s fine and healthy to name the junk in your congregation. It’s cathartic to name things that suck. It’s important to know what dangers lie about on the trail. But that’s not where you want to go now, is it? Duh.
So acknowledge what is and live into the hope of what is to come.
You want hope for the children? Then be hopeful.