Fairy-tales and Jesus

Something has been stirring inside me lately. A revelation that has the potential to step on a few toes, but also has the potential to shift mindsets and open doors in your life. I encourage you to read on with an open mind and open heart, and I pray you would take all of these thoughts before the Lord and seek Him for wisdom and revelation.

I have been reading a lot lately in the four gospels and in Acts. There are stories of great men, of valiant heroes that not only died for Christ but also lived their lives for His glory. Growing up I so often found these stories feeling distant, almost like fairy-tales. I had heard these stories from the Bible hundreds of times before. I believed they were true and I enjoyed hearing them but they meant nothing more to me than a cool bedtime story.

I accepted Jesus at the age of four, and it's safe to say that I have been an "active church member" since the day I was born. Growing up my parents read me every Bible story known to man. I spent my time watching VeggieTales, going to VBS, spent every year at Christian summer camps, starred in church performances, and attended a Christian school. I was considered "extreme" by my school friends, and "weird" by my high school classmates. I was the prime example of what any parent would be proud of. I knew tons of Bible verses, could quote every line to every Christian song and movie ever created. But I wasn't complete, I always felt something missing deep within my soul.

As a kid and even in my teen years I would crawl in bed at night and I would cry out that God would talk to me, but I wouldn't hear His voice. Nothing can explain the deep sorrow I felt and the yearnings of my heart to have relationship with Him. I would repeatedly repent for every sin that I could have possibly committed, thinking God wouldn't talk to me because of my sins. God felt distant and unreal to me. I didn't know how to reach Him, I didn't know how to talk to Him, I didn't know how to hear His voice, and most importantly I didn't know how to have a relationship with Him. All I knew was that I wanted Him to fill the void in my heart more than anything.

I remember as a child I would go to church and someone would begin to talk about Jesus on the cross or about the healing of the leper and I would just tune them out. It wasn't that I didn't love Jesus, because I did. But I had heard it all before, these "stories" were so "normal" to me that they lost their significance. There were a whole lot of people telling stories but there was no one in my life living it out. The only thing separating fairy-tales and Bible stories is reality, and life application. If you don't live out the teachings in your own life, and it doesn't impact how you live, it becomes nothing more than a fairy-tale.

It's normal for your child to see you go and buy groceries but is it normal for them to see you pray for the sick?

It's normal for your child to see you drink your morning cup of coffee but is it normal for them to see you praising the Lord every morning?

 It's normal for your child to see you frustrated in traffic but is it normal for them to see you thanking God for your blessings?

It's normal for your child to see you shopping at Wal-Mart but is it normal for them to see you stop and feed the poor?

 

A friend of ours and his beautiful daughter praising God in the morning.

 

When was the last time that these stories left the page and became real life in your home? In our modern day society we take our children to visit Disney World to meet Mickey, Cinderella, and every character ever created.... but do we teach our children how to meet with God? If Queen Elsa is more of a reality to your child than their heavenly Father is...there might be a problem.

Being a children's pastor, I am obviously a big advocate for children being raised in church. But, being raised in church myself I have found that it adds it's challenges. When you hear the story of David and Goliath, the stories of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo, the story of Daniel in the lion's den, these stories get lost somewhere among the stories of Cinderella, Jack and the Bean Stalk, and Snow White. Somewhere (for me at least) these stories became exactly that... just stories. I can only imagine what my life would have looked like growing up if I had known how to commune with the Father from the age of four... Can you imagine the impact an entire generation would have if they were taught that the reality of God is greater than the realities of this world? My passion is to see a generation that understands our need for a Savior, a generation that looks beyond their smart phones to find an all-knowing, all-powerful God that is just waiting for them to make time for Him. A generation that turns those Bible stories from fairy-tales into their normal everyday routine. A generation that slays giants, raises up warriors, and sees their King glorified. This can only be accomplished through amazing parents and leaders teaching our children how to have relationship with God. We have to make Him part of their everyday lives, not by telling stories ABOUT Him but by spending time with Him and allowing our children to actually encounter His presence! Every person has a God shaped void in their lives that only He can fill, let's teach our children how to fill this spot from a young age and they will never have to experience life not knowing how to communicate with our loving Father.

Let's raise up powerful children that become the heroes of their generation. 

Will you join me in this challenge to make fairy-tales become a reality? To raise up a generation who knows the words of God more than they know their favorite Disney song? Who's reality of their Father is greater than any Disney character that has been created? Will you join in with me and see this generation grow up to bring heaven to earth?