3 minute read
A New Perspective
from March 2020
18 // March 2020 by Ashlee Abernathy A ll too often, I have worried that my children were too noisy during church. I have worried that they shouldn’t get up on the stage after church while all the adults are all chatting and discussing their plans for the week after the church service. I am guilty of being overbearing and strict on my sons’ every move inside the walls of the church. One Sunday morning, my pastor said something so profound it shook me to my core. He said to me, “I know you worry about the boys making noise and running around too much, but I want you to know it doesn’t bother me a bit. The day we stop hearing the noises made by children in this place is the day we might as well close the doors because the church will be done for.” His words were exactly what I needed to hear.
I have two amazing young boys. My oldest son is 6 and is on the autism spectrum. My youngest is 1 and is bursting with infectious joy and energy. My oldest sees things differently than those we call “neurotypical,” and he isn’t always accepted everywhere we go. Sometimes it is difficult for him to fit in or to make friends, but his church family provides him with a place to be himself. He is able to express himself in his own way, and because he feels free to be himself, he has been able to truly fall in love with learning about Christ.
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My husband and I worried about our oldest when we found out we were expecting our second baby. He had been an only child for almost five years, and adjusting to a new routine is never easy. We would make a big deal about how he was going to be the perfect big brother, and that’s exactly what he is. He learned to love playing with other children in Sunday school and junior’s church, in addition to other church activities. When the time came for his little brother to come home, he was ready and beyond excited. Now, they play together at church with all the other children, knowing all the while that it is acceptable and encouraged to have fun in the Lord’s house. My oldest son loves church, and I pray that love for church and Christ continues throughout his life. In Matthew 19:14, it says, “But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” We should always encourage children to love church and to enjoy being in the Lord’s house. My youngest’s idea of fun is different than his brother’s, but they always manage to love being at church together, learning and growing in Christ. Children should feel at home in church so that as they grow older, they always feel at home and church remains a place where they desire to be.
Hill Crest Baptist Church Church Revival Sunday – Wednesday, March 15 - March 18 Sunday @ 6PM - Speaker, Pastor Mark Evans Mon. – Wed. @ 7PM - Guest Speaker, Reverend Tyler Smith Yard Sale & Bake Sale Saturday, March 21 | 8AM - 12PM In the Christian Life Center Red Back Hymnal Singing Sunday, March 29 | 6PM 2202 North Broad Street NE, Cleveland, TN 706.291.8066 Shorter Avenue Baptist Church Unseen Women’s Conference Saturday, March 14 | 10:30AM - 12:30PM 1410 Shorter Avenue NW, Rome, GA Fellowship Baptist Church Breaking Down Barriers - Men’s Conference 2020 Friday, March 6th 314 Burnett Ferry Road SW, Rome, GA
