Complete Joy

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete." I John 1:1-4

It can be difficult rearing children in our culture. We live in a time when there seems to be no moral absolutes. What is right all depends on what feels right at the moment. This has led to several generations of people who are seemingly lost and looking for answers and purpose in life.

John's introduction to his book gives us something to hang onto. What we believe is not changing. It comes from the beginning. Also, we can know that it is true because of the witnesses. He states that they not only heard, but they saw and they touched. Multiple eyewitnesses testify to the truth of Christ, and many of them in turn were willing to die for the message he brought. They would not die for a lie. John himself had to live in exile on the island of Patmos because of what he believed. But he did not waver.

Do we want our children to have purpose in life? Do we want them to be unwavering in their faith like the first followers? Of course we do. Our mission as mothers is to reach our children's hearts for God so they will be able to live their lives to the fullest serving Him who created them.

What can we do to accomplish this mission? I think there are some key words here in this text. They are hear, see, and touch. Children must hear the message. That alone is not enough. They must also see the message lived out around them. Then they must be able to touch the message. This is the hardest step because this is where their faith becomes real. They own it. It becomes personal. We can't do this part for them. However, if we do our part to help them see and hear the message of Christ, I believe God will take care of the rest. Then as parents we can experience our joy becoming complete as the message of Christ is carried on to the next generation.

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