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Five minutes from my flat in Oxford were 5 or 6 cafes with great coffee and breakfast. When I sat outside, without fail, I would see someone I knew, and we would chat about life. How I wish I could find some of you crossing my daily path so we could have a cuppa and chat.
One of the questions I hear so often is, "How did you pass on faith, a legacy of spirituality to your children?” Discipleship is a matter of heart connection. Jesus, kneeling down in the dusty floor, mingling his hands with toes, dirt and smell, lovingly touching, firmly wiping the feet of His beloved friends, amidst stench, noise and eating, laughing, living. Reaching their hearts, souls, minds with the depth of the call of His kingdom was an embracing of the reality of daily life amongst full-blooded, crusty, men, while passing on truth, eternal life, understanding. These men were hungry to fulfill a life's purpose that captivated their deepest longings to see that their lives mattered.
Jesus didn't just talk about having a ministry from a broad, tall pulpit with a resounding microphone, while disappearing between sermons. He lived a deeply personal life with words and instruction as well as integrity and generous love demonstrated in each moment of every day. He served, bowed his knee to meet needs and desires of those He loved. He taught compassion, and then demonstrated it by healing the sick, touching those with leprosy, giving grace to a prostitute, holding and caressing children, feeding those who were hungry.
Jesus took three years off from the work of the universe in order to pass his ministry on to his disciples. He lived with them, ate, loved, instructed them. As mothers, if we want the same kind of life-changing impact on our children, it will require the sacrifice of our time, our commitments. It will be inconvenient and life-consuming. But leaving godly disciples is the greatest work we will ever achieve. When I meet Jesus face to face, He will say, "What did you do to invest, love, teach your children the secrets of the kingdom of God so that they will love me and serve me with wholehearted devotion?"
More on discipleship on today’s Tea Time Tuesday podcast.