“Where you and your children lay your head at night doesn’t keep you from serving God for the sake of the nations.”
- Lindsey Carlson
In her recent post at Desiring God, Stay-at-Home Moms with Missionary Hearts, Linsey gives five practical ways stay-at-home moms here in the U.S. can be actively involved in God’s work reaching people who have never heard the gospel.
I loved her article and asked Lindsey if she would share what it looks like for her family in every day life to be living intentionally for the nations. Her words are so encouraging and her heart to be strategic right where they’re at is beautiful. You can read more from Lindsey at her blog, Worship Rejoices. Be sure to stop over and take a look at some of her other great articles!
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My husband and I have four young children. They are blond haired, fair skinned kidddos growing up inside an evangelical church world. If we are not careful and intentional, we will raise our children thinking we are the norm and that everyone outside our front door knows and loves Jesus. My husband and I are painfully aware of the vast amounts of tribes and tongues and unreached people groups across the world and we hope to shine light on this reality for our children in a strategic way.
What does this look like for our family? If I’m being totally honest, it doesn’t always look like it would in my imagination. I would love to say I sit my kids down each morning and pray through unreached people groups. We’ve done it before, but it isn’t an every day rhythm right now with four kids under 10. Right now, ours looks a little less structured.
We live in Houston, Texas. Our city has recently replaced New York as the new cultural melting pot of the United States of America. On one side of our home are neighbors from Bangladesh and on the other side from Nigeria. Whether it’s the crucifix on the door or the mother wearing a hijab, these are doorways to conversations with my children about the common condition of man’s heart and God’s love for all His people.
For our family, part of having a heart for the nations here, has been forming genuine friendships with our neighbors. We invite them over for dinner. We linger in the driveway while kids are playing so we can chat. We bring gifts on holidays. We make ourselves present and make them feel seen. We ask and answer lots of questions. We are open in our conversations with both our children and our neighbors about the transforming power of Christ and the gospel.
Now, when my children talk about a Muslim, they no longer picture a faceless person who doesn’t go to church, but they picture a friend who doesn’t know Jesus’ love and forgiveness. My children’s hearts for the unreached are fueled by knowing the unreached and understanding their cultural and spiritual similarities and differences.
If you are hoping to teach your children to see and love all of God’s people – start with the ones closest to you. Has living intentionally to reach my neighbors been hard? Yes. Is it awkward sometimes? Yes. Is it exhilarating? Always. Loving others always is.
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