Ugh! Do these kids ever hear a word I say?!

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6 (NIV84)

Do you remember elementary school?

I sure do!  Sitting in metal desks, playing kickball during all three recess times, and, of course, writing “I will not talk in class” on the black board 100 times over recess only to watch Mrs. Sowers erase my chalk scribbles immediately after I completed my punishment are just some of the memories I hold on to.  Ah, the good ol’ days, right?

But one of my favorite elementary school memories was something my parents did for me back in 3rd grade: they enrolled me in Camp Joy El’s “Bible Released Time.”  Released Time allowed students to be released from their classrooms once a week to go to an offsite location to receive Bible teaching.  From its inception, Released Time included Scripture memory, and we Released Time students were incentivized to memorize verses to accumulate points culminating in 300 verses for a free week at camp.  While I never made it to 300, I did manage to memorize 25 verses for a King James Version of the New Testament Bible, small enough to fit in your pocket.  I still have that Bible today (see image above)!  But, most importantly, it was through Bible Released Time where Christ called me to His own, when I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior as a volunteer prayed the salvation prayer with me.  Hallelujah!

But I also recall being in quite a bit of trouble back then, too: talking too much (shocking!); not sitting still (more shocking!); and creating disturbances (really shocking!).  I can just hear a volunteer’s exasperated mumblings, “Ugh! Do these kids ever hear a word I say?!”

And, now, as an adult, I blush when I realize that, though I may not articulate it that way, I’m essentially expressing my frustration in the same way, “Ugh! Do my kids ever hear a word I say?!”

Are you a little like me in that way, too?

In other words, is what I’m doing now ever going to make a difference in this child’s life?

The answer is simply this: YES!

This past week, Camp Joy El kicked off their 2016-17 Bible Released Time year with an encouraging rally for all of the program’s adult volunteers.  Held in four locations including Camp Joy El (see image above), Akron Church of the Brethren, Memorial United Methodist Church, and Church of the Open Door, close to 500 servants of the Most High turned out to praise His Name!  On hand were several Camp Joy El leaders, including Aaron Ziebarth, Jan Diaz and their outstanding team, who welcomed, encouraged, guided, and equipped these amazing volunteers – I praise God for them all!  The small role they asked me to play was to deliver an encouraging message (see image above) as a former Bible Released Time student who, nearly 40 years ago, came to Christ because of efforts from willing volunteers decades ago.  Do you see the connection?  Just like the Proverbs 22:6 promises, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

You make a difference!

And that’s the point I’m making here: you make a difference!  Even though we think our efforts, work, prayers, and pleading (and more than a little crying out to God!) are sometimes falling on deaf ears, please know that God is indeed working through you to raise up these children to serve Him!  Sure, our kids – just like us – may not look like they’re paying attention to God’s ways, or may not act like they’re hearing the what we’re saying, but we are planting seeds that, by His grace, will one day flourish.  Sadly, in the years following junior high I strayed a long way from the sound biblical instruction my parents and untold numbers of volunteers shared with me, but God can and does call us back to Him, just like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), and, by His grace alone, we grow up and come back to Him.

So, don’t give up!  Keep loving Him!  Keep falling to yours knees, begging Him to work through you and others to reach your beloved and beautiful kids for His glory!  Remembering elementary school days is certainly one thing, but remembering that Jesus loves us and will never stop loving us is a whole different thing.  Our kids need to know Jesus loves – and we do, too – even when it doesn’t look they’re listening at all!

Legacy building Jesus’ way
Our newly published book, A Faithful Dad’s Guide to Legacy and A Faithful Dad’s Guide to Legacy companion DVD, its accompanying 6-session small group DVD both available now at Amazon.  This guide seeks to address perhaps the biggest question us dad will ever ask:

What legacy do I want to leave for my family?

Legacy-Image-Pack-1

Through authentic experiences and biblical examples, A Faithful Dad’s Guide to Legacy will equip you to leave a lasting legacy your family will treasure.  Pick up your copies today for the dads in your life, and, if you’re willing, share a good review for us at Amazon.  God has called us to get the word out there that us dads can leave a lasting legacy for our family by faithfully following Christ.

Share your passion for Jesus with your family as you follow Him together!

On behalf of our board and serving Jesus with you,
Travis and Suzanne Zimmerman

traviszim
travis@afaithfuldad.org