It’s not often that Janny (my wife!) and I write a blog together, so it was especially fun writing this post for Allison Buzard’s current series asking how to live out the radical way of Jesus while raising kids.
Before we had kids, we loved to travel, had worldview stretching experiences and were all together creative in how we lived the lives we had been given. For us, having the right kind of experiences meant far more than have the right kind of house, car or other possession that could be associated with “success.” As we reflect on our development individually and as a couple in the context of marriage, it is clear that these experiences (and resulting relationships) have shaped us more significantly than any classroom or lecture series. It has been the classroom of real life relationships that have formed us into global citizens who follow a Jesus with a global reign.
And then we had kids…
Having heard that we would finally have to “slow down” or change our unorthodox way of life with the wee ones around, we were feeling a bit anxious about this new stage of life. Would the most life giving elements of our life quickly be swept away in exchange for dirty diapers and trips to the laundry mat?
Well, they could have been, but we quickly realized that the very best gift we could give our children is to live the kind of life we would desire them to live as faithful followers of Jesus. In other words, if we are to be role models to our children, we need to live the kind of life we’d hope they’ll live someday.
So, we figured we’d just keep on living the unorthodox way of life and bring ’em along with us. That’s why God made front packs and folding strollers for crying out loud!!
We are far from having things figured out, but here are a few key learnings we aspire to embody…
Read the complete post on Allison’s blog here.
Thank you two for sharing your journey of parenting. I loved reading your perspective and I know others did, too!