And let us not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Getting ready every Sunday morning for church with children can be exhausting. But the Lord has taught me it is far bigger than the temporary struggle I see. And here’s why I choose it. 

I choose church with my kids NOT because I like the chaos of getting everyone out the door in clothes they think are “too dressy” (even though they are basically t-shirts) or because I like hearing the whines of why any shoe other than a tennis shoe is too tight. Because I do not.

I choose church with my kids NOT because it feels like the easy thing to do. Or the thing I want to do when I’m trying to curl my hair with constant interruptions from sons asking about where to find a toothbrush or because it’s fun to choose an outfit with someone pulling on my leg after finding three of my dresses feel a bit too tight. Because truthfully it’s just not very fun.

I choose church with my kids NOT because I see a huge and instant change in their hearts after the weekly lesson. Or that because by hearing a scripture that week it will make them listen better to me that day. Or stop crying at drop off and trying to rip my dress off. Because we’re ten years in and I always still have to pull at least one child off me crying. It’s just our thing.

So nope, that’s not why I choose to go to church with my kids.

Instead, I choose to go to church with my kids because I know it’s a life-long investment. Actually, it’s even more than that. It’s an eternal one that is worth every struggle to get them out the door.

And I choose it because I know that one day the scripture they learned today in Sunday school WILL one day be the one that Jesus uses to direct their heart in a moment of uncertainty. And fear. And they will find truth and comfort in what they’ve been taught. Because it was planted in their heart so the harvest would one day be there.

And I choose church because I know that by bringing them to these four walls where we consciously choose to make Jesus our priority, one day when they’re grown and need the church more than ever, they will be able to comfortably walk in and find peace within the walls of a church they choose for themselves. And just be able to breathe knowing it’s a place for everyone always — mistakes and all — including them.

Basically, I choose church not because I like the struggle of leaving home but because one day when they are in the middle of their greatest struggle, they will find their home in Jesus.

And that makes every week of “seeing” the outward crazy of making church happen know the “unseen” growth of what is going on in their little hearts worth it.

That’s why I choose church.

Action Step: The next time you are struggling with getting out the door before church, try praying for your family and yourself to remember the seeds you are planting.

Dear God,  even though it can be exhausting, help us to remember why church is so much more than a Sunday morning habit. Remind us that you are at work in an eternal way in the hearts of each and every person in our family. And though we may not see it, we can trust you for that promise. Amen