“Now we are opening the door. After this we will get in the car. Mommy is buckling up while Daddy gets your snack-snack.” My newborn daughter stared back at me through her car-seat mirror. Dialogue such as this had become all too common in our household. Our Parents as First Teachers educator had recently taught us the importance of narrating life for her as it occurred. This would assist in vocabulary development and assure her comfort in new places. Though she could feel, hear and see her world, she did not come equipped with the words to describe the experience.
In a sense, our role as the Body of Christ is similar-especially in children’s and family ministry. The “littlest of these” require mentors in the faith to prayerfully articulate how the Holy Spirit is moving in and around them. While children can sense that something different is occurring as they mature as disciples, they lack the language to claim and capitalize on it. Not to mention the fact that some holy hums could easily be drowned out by the noise of the world. To help turn up the Holy Spirit’s volume within our CFM programs, it is pertinent that we narrate the sacred scenes of life.
One way to accomplish this is through milestones. While we are on a trajectory towards Christian perfection, we must pause along the way to acknowledge and celebrate the work that God has done. He’s not through with us yet, but we have definitely been refined since we first met Jesus.
When milestones are grounded in sound theology, infused with the Holy Spirit, and presented by the Family of God, they morph into something nearly sacramental. They serve as an outward sign of an inward change.
Holy pauses like kindergarten and third grade bible presentations, the “big” fifth grade service project or confirmation jubilantly articulate what God has done in the life of a child- and equips her for what He has yet to do.
In what milestones do your church family participate? Do you think it is imperative that the entire church family join in on a child’s milestone presentation?
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