Prepare for a Moment's Notice

by David Staal
4/20/2006
“It’s time; let’s go.”

Ninety seconds before I said those words, a nurse on the phone told me that my wife, Becky, was likely experiencing false labor. I’m no doctor, but I had a strong hunch her symptoms indicated the real thing. Intense pain squeezed my wife in intervals less than two minutes apart. My conclusion: we could wait no longer. “False” was wrong. It was time to act.

So we jumped in the car (I jumped, she waddled) and began a fifteen-mile journey to the hospital. As we pulled out of our subdivision, another contraction hit. Remembering our birthing class lessons, I offered, “Hee-hoo, hee-hoo,” in an attempt to coach my wife’s breathing. In an unusually deep and scary tone she responded, “Just drive fast.” I stopped talking and started accelerating.

Two miles down the road we came upon the scene of an earlier accident that caused a long line of cars to form. However, desperate moments require daring measures. So I steered our car into the opposite lane and, with horn blasting and headlights flashing, approached the police officer who was directing traffic. We immediately caught his attention. He ran toward us, and I hoped he would arrest me so my wife could ride in a squad car to the hospital. While I started to explain our situation, the next contraction arrived and Becky let out a scream that caused the police dog in a nearby cruiser to whimper. “Get going!” the officer ordered, and our journey continued.

After racing at speeds I dare not put in print, we reached the hospital with little time to spare. Seven minutes later, our daughter Erin arrived in this world. I am so glad we chose to act and not wait — for the sake of my wife, my newborn daughter, and a dad totally unprepared for this delivery adventure.

There is another type of birth opportunity involving children that also requires parents to decide whether or not they will take action. Respected pollster George Barna conducted studies to determine the probability that people of various ages will ask Jesus to be their Savior — which, of course, designates spiritual birth. The results heavily favor children five through twelve years old (32 percent) compared to teens (4 percent) or adults age nineteen and older (6 percent). Barna’s conclusion: “If people do not embrace Jesus Christ as their Savior before they reach their teenage years, their chance of doing so at all is slim.”

In other words, we must not wait to tell kids about Jesus. Instead, we need to take action. Kids can enter into a saving relationship with Jesus.

The Bible dispels any skepticism about the validity of a child’s faith. Just look at Acts 2:39 in which Peter says, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call” (emphasis added). The Greek word used in this verse (teknon) literally means “child” — as in a daughter or son. The promise Peter speaks of is salvation, and clearly it’s available to kids. Romans 10:9 reveals the context of salvation: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This verse articulates the inclusive nature of God’s saving grace and mandates no minimum age.

Of course the ability to comprehend the promise, and the timing in which it happens, varies by person — whether child or adult. Focus on the Family’s Dr. James Dobson describes his salvation experience at age three. Moody Bible Institute’s former president, Joe Stowell, accepted Christ at six. Evangelist Billy Graham made his decision at sixteen. Although I hesitate to mention my name in the same paragraph with the previous three, I gave my life to Jesus at age twenty-nine (even though still a kid at heart!).

So armed with assurance from Scripture that kids can enter an authentic relationship with the Lord, along with numerous examples that children do commit their young lives to Jesus, the question becomes how? Good question — because you might be the answer.

C. S. Lewis said, “There is nothing in the nature of the younger generation which incapacitates them for receiving Christianity. If any one is prepared to tell them, they are apparently ready to hear.” You will serve your children well when you are the one prepared to do that.

Reggie Joiner, Director of Family Ministries at North Point Church in Atlanta, has done the math for us. “The average church has about forty hours a year that they will have an audience with a child,” he says. “Parents have 3,000 hours in that same year. No one has more potential to influence a child’s relationship with God than a parent.”

As a parent, commit to becoming comfortable at speaking simple, personal faith explanations. Then you’ll be ready for any car ride or bedtime conversation that offers a real-time salvation opportunity. Even if you feel fairly confident in your ability to have such discussions, commit to polishing your skills further. You’ll celebrate your readiness when a child needs you.

From Leading Your Child to Jesus by David Staal