Foundations

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Thank you. Janice Austin Bates

I was a very lucky person. I was born into a pastor’s family. Yes, I was a PK (preacher’s kid).

But, it wasn’t just any preacher’s family. My parents were wonderful Bible believing, dedicated Christians. They not only talked the talk, they walked the walk. God was always respected and honored in our home. We were taught from the time we were born what it took to be Christians. They told us about heaven and hell, and we knew where we wanted to spend eternity.

We could be in school activities, but they could not take priority over God and church. I always sang in the a ‘Capella choir. One time we had a great opportunity to sing at a city event. I was really excited about it. The only problem was, it was to take place at a luncheon that was on Sunday right during church. My parents said they were sorry, but I could not skip church to go sing. Although I was sad to miss it, I knew they were right. God always had to come first. When the service was over someone from the choir came running into the church and said, “Come on Janice. They let us hold off the performance so you could come sing with us.” Of course my parents said I could go then. I knew immediately that God had worked this all out for me because we had made Him the priority.

Some people think that is too strict but I can tell you that attitude is a lot of the reason I am a Christian today.

I saw many things like that happen over the years and learned that no matter what, God has to be the focus of our lives.

My father told me one time when I was a teenager that every child has the right to grow up sleeping on a church bench. I remember when I was very young I would always fall asleep on the church pew because I couldn’t understand the sermons yet. However, what I did understand was that church was important and I was always supposed to be there.

As I got older the sermons started making sense to me and I grew up with a very strong foundation.

 When I was 19 some things happened that caused me to faulter. I was looking at people and took my eyes off God. I got hurt and angry and walked away from God for ten years. My family prayed for me every day and God brought me back. When you receive a strong Godly foundation like I had, you can run from it, but you can never escape it. It is always there, right behind you, following you everywhere and constantly calling you back.

I had a friend who had a wife, six kids, and two grandchildren they were raising. They kept drifting further and further out of church. At one point I hadn’t seen them at church for well over a year. Then one Sunday I looked up and there he was with the two grandchildren. I greeted him and told him how much we had been missing them. I will never forget him telling me that all the kids were in baseball and other sports. Most of their games were on Sunday so they couldn’t come to church. He said, ‘You know how it is. You have to set your priorities.” That made me so sad to know the whole family was putting sports as the priority over God. He was only there about three times and then he dropped out again. About a year ago, my friend dropped dead from a heart attack. From everything I have seen, I don’t believe anyone in his family goes to church or serves God anymore. They had no foundation.

How about your children? Are they receiving the foundation that will carry them through life and into eternity with God? Are they sleeping on the church bench while they are still too young to understand what it is all about?

Are they in Sunday School and children’s church while they are old enough to start learning about God? As they become young adults, are they in the youth group surrounded by other young people developing strong friendships with other Christian youth.

Are they growing up knowing Sunday to be a day they go to the house of God and worship, or is it the day to go to the lake.

Of course, there can be exceptions, but it is God’s day.

When your children become adults and have a family of their own, what kind of foundation will they have to help them raise their children to serve God, and eventually spend eternity with Him?

Will they waste their lives following the world, or will they thank God every day for being born into a family that gave them a powerful Godly foundation to base their whole life on? What kind of heritage are your children receiving?

Think about it.