Some older friends of mine experienced something interesting a few years ago. They were asked by women in their twenties and thirties to do a Bible study which also taught them how to cook. They had been so busy with school and activities during their years at home; no one had taught them how to cook. While it created an outreach opportunity for my friends, Christian parents may want to seriously consider teaching their children as many practical skills as possible.
Why? The best outreach efforts of the church involve serving others and mission work. Those opportunities almost always involve practical skills like painting, carpentry, cooking, gardening, teaching, first aid and more. Yet we send out people who have little or no practical skills in these areas to “serve” those in need. Often, with the best of intentions, we leave a bigger mess than was there before we arrived. What does it say to those we “served” when we leave their walls covered in dried paint drips or the garden they were depending on for food fails to grow because we didn’t know how to teach them to keep it alive?
Ever known someone who insisted on doing the very thing that irritates you the most? Maybe he called you by a nickname you hated or she always teased you about the way you pronounced a certain word. You may love the person, but whenever you were around them you kept waiting for them to push your buttons in some way to get a reaction from you. Even now, thinking about it makes you cringe just a little.
Kids ask the best questions. Because so many things are new to them, they often develop an interesting perspective on what will later become common knowledge. Unfortunately, many schools are designed in ways that discourage questioning and a love of learning. Children who just a few years ago were full of wonder and questions lose the light in their eyes and begin to lose interest in learning new things as well.
One of the cornerstones of Christian education should be the teaching of empathy – especially in relation to serving others and sharing our faith. Instead our attempts, if any, seem to be closer to teaching pity. Empathy involves the ability to really and truly understand as much s possible what life is like for another person. Many times empathy is difficult. How can our children care about what happens in a country they may never visit?
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