Dec 07
7
Striving Toward the Goal
Posted by Stephen7
Tags: challenge, children, church, Debbie, Micah, priorities, youth
Today was just as much hard work as yesterday, the day before, the whole week. Tonight we rushed through dinner, got the boys ready to go out and went to Youth Group. Debbie and I didn’t have a lot of responsibilities–show up, interact with the young people, lead the singing, and go home. Others were doing games, snack, and message. So we had it pretty easy. However, I was reminded again of how even the easiest things can be made oh so much harder with the addition of small children.
Micah has become quite mobile in the last few weeks. He doesn’t crawl properly yet, but he can make his way around with a series of rolls and spins and shoves. Tonight he wanted Mummy, and he steadily progressed across the room to where Debbie was playing the piano. Partway there he came perilously close to a rocking, reclining chair. Would his head get caught under the chair? Would his fingers get jammed in the mechanism? Several times he was moved away from danger, but he kept returning to the chair’s field of influence. It was on his way to Mummy. Everybody in the room who could see him was riveted by the drama. Would there be a disaster or would he be rescued in the nick of time?
I was leading the singing. It was difficult to focus on what I was supposed to be doing when I had to keep my son from hurting himself. It was difficult to keep the group focused on the songs when they were so entertained by Micah’s adventures. Debbie was concentrating on playing the piano and was oblivious to his antics.
And then Micah reached Mummy. He stopped traveling. He was out of danger. The crowd relaxed. No more distractions. We could get on with the singing. But Debbie’s troubles were just beginning. Micah tried to grab her foot as she worked the pedal on the piano. Now it was Debbie’s turn to worry about Micah getting hurt. Would his little hand get stomped by her foot as it automatically went up and down on the pedal? Would his fingers get jammed in the pedal itself? Debbie couldn’t bring the song to a grinding halt, stop and rescue Micah, and then continue as if nothing had happened. The show must go on, but what was she to do?
I decided enough was enough, and permanently removed Micah and held him on my lap for the rest of the singing. He wasn’t too happy about being restrained, but to my relief didn’t squirm too much and didn’t burst into tears. We finished in an orderly fashion.
Our prayer is that the young people will grow up knowing and following the Lord, and complicated as it was tonight, our efforts were toward something worthwhile, something eternal. Those corn seedlings will grow up into tall, fruitful ears of corn. At least some of them will.
Secular work is not optional–I have to earn a living or we starve. I have to work whether I like it or not. Sometimes it feels like sacred work is optional–what difference will it make if I skip Youth Group tonight? If I take a break, have a night off? But a thousand years from now tonight’s efforts, meager as they were, will be all that remain from the week’s labour.
