Go and Teach

When I hear these words, I cannot help but think about all of those who go out on mission trips to far off places. Those who serve in the Peace Corps or with other faith based organizations who supply basic needs to entire villages of people. This is what this scripture means right?

Well…yes and no.

There are people in our own families whom we need to teach. We need to share our faith with them and teach them right and wrong. Help them to grow up with a servant heart to love and serve others.

Through my years teaching bible study, I’ve encountered many women who get down on themselves because they think they aren’t doing enough. They don’t give themselves enough credit for being a Mom who modeled and taught the faith to her children. They seem to think the scripture is telling them they haven’t done enough so they feel ‘less than’ somehow.

Why do we do this? I think we hear words like the ones in the scripture and think global. We get these grandiose ideas about helping entire nations and forget the importance of teaching the people right in front of us.

One person cannot teach everyone, not even Jesus was able to reach everyone without the help of his Disciples; including YOU! As a parent, if we teach our own, there is no telling how many people the ones we teach will teach and the cycle will go on and on and on! This is how the saying, “teach a person to fish and you will feed them for life!” is applied to spreading the faith.

So go out and teach all the nations, even if it is on your living room couch, the Good News!

PS - I was drawn to this image because the toddler resembles me when I was that age.