What achievement makes someone the happiest? Two different podcasts I’ve listened to talked about how they surveyed people towards the end of their life and asked about their greatest achievements and accomplishments. Any guesses what the greatest was? It was usually family or child related.
That’s great for people who have children; but what about older people who don’t have children or the younger person who feels like he or she will never get married or have children? There is good news! You have a family! Yes, everyone has their “blood” family and possibly has nieces, nephews, grandchildren, or good friends who have children. But, there is also a church family with parents and children who need extra people to help love and guide them.
A book I enjoy is called Sticky Faith. There is another one written by the same authors called Sticky Faith for Families. The first, is a general overview of how churches and families can help faith “stick” with children their entire lives. We know it’s the work of the Holy Spirit to call people by the Gospel, enlighten us with His gifts, sanctify, and keep us in the true faith. To say, “It’s all up to the Holy Spirit,” and do nothing would be an abuse of the relationship between all adults and children in the Christian faith. While the Holy Spirit is the one who works faith in the lives of us and our children, there are things we can do to teach and role model faith to others.
As Christians, we need others to help care for us. People to help care for our spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. Role models so we can grow in our faith and trust toward God. Those to hold us accountable. Those to love us unconditionally when we feel completely broken by sin, death, and the devil. The book Sticky Faith helps show statistically how we can help others retain their faith throughout childhood and college. Things mentioned in this book are also applicable to new believers.
Sticky Faith for Families is a book where the writers took information from the study done for Sticky Faith and look at individual interviews. There are hundreds of examples of what different families do together to help share faith within their households. When I first read it, I felt like a failure reading about all of these wonderful parents. Thankfully, the author admits she felt that way too. The purpose of the book isn’t to make people feel bad, it’s to help parents. To take ONE thing from the entire book and do it.For those who would like to benefit their family and others in their church family, I encourage reading the book Sticky Faith. There will be a few articles based on the chapters in the book. Many of us will hopefully look back on our lives and see how God used us to achieve many things. The greatest achievements, however, will be the trust we put in our Savior and those we encouraged in the one true faith.
Sticky Faith