You may have heard the African proverb, of unknown origin, recently made even better known by the book of the same name: “It takes a village to raise a child”. But for maybe three of our families who could be described as “more remotely located”, the concept of village is, for most of us, an idea we can only reference against holiday experiences in exotic locations.
As families, we have to work hard to create the “village” that surround our children with people who are like-minded and will influence our children in the way we as parents would want. We find our “village members” in extended family, close friends, people in our churches, those we are close to in our workplaces, sports and other clubs. It would also be an accurate reflection on life that the “village” we create around our families is dynamic – people come and go from the village as we navigate our way through life.
Hebrews 13:7 (NASB) “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”
As we go about the task of creating “village” around our families, this verse from Hebrews may be a more helpful starting point for us. It is a command not to forget the people that have added most to our journey towards maturity in Christ. It is a command that provides us with an opportunity for reflection on an ongoing basis. It can be a way into prayers of adoration of God, as we consider those in our lives who have had the greatest impact on our faith journey. The command here in Hebrews can also cause us to consider those who have most benefited our children’s growth in faith, and to intentionally fine-tune the “village” of people that surround our family.
In recent days, I have undertaken this task of reflection personally. In stopping to think about those who have been instrumental in my growth in Christian maturity, I realised afresh that God has woven a very complex web of people through my life experiences.
I shared the narrative as it applied to few of these people with the senior leadership team of the College earlier this week. It was an interesting exercise, because I found it very hard to narrow down the list – I could have shared a much, much longer list with them for hours. I also did not include my wife and children and my parents and siblings in the potential list – for me, they have been automatic choices to include in this prayer – how blessed am I!
Instead, I chose to share the stories of the following four people:
- my grandfather (my dad’s dad)
- my high school principal (who later became my employer for six years)
- a work colleague from the 90s who is still a close friend of our family (and a magnificent example of someone who constantly reaches out to the homeless and destitute), and
- a local man I spent a week with in Oro Province in Papua New Guinea in 2004.
Why these four? Because, each of them in a significant way at some point in my relationship with them, had “led me, spoken the word of God to me; and caused me to consider the result of their conduct, so that I would choose to imitate their faith”, in accordance with Hebrews 13:7.
I can immediately think of another four I could have equally chosen to thank God for, and a third set of four. It is a great command from God to hear, and to use as a prayer opportunity. I have also found it helpful, and I hope you do too, as we construct the “village” around our families that will “raise our children”.
educating 4 life, too 
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