Never Say No: Raising Big Picture KidsSample

Pathways of the Culture Jungle

Our friends Tom and Janet left for Peru with their young children, wanting to make a difference in that country. Their goal was to make contact with a hidden people in the upper Amazon. Their hope was to bring them the love and truth of Jesus while preserving their culture and primitive lifestyle. The risks were high; disease, poisonous plants, snakes, caiman (crocodiles), and a possible hostile reaction from the aboriginal people.

It took years of patience and perseverance. They hoped to become friends by leaving gifts for the people. To leave those love gifts, they needed to learn what foods and tools were useful to the people, and find their jungle paths. It was on those pathways that relationship and trust were eventually established.

Although we live in an urban jungle, the principle is no different. Our modern jungle trails are education, business, sports, arts, media, government, social service, medicine, technology, and entertainment. If we want to make a redemptive impact, we must help our sons and daughters feel confident to travel these pathways with their cultural goods. We must be skilled at whatever we do, to leave a cultural good (a gift) that meets a need, and we must build loving relationships along the way. Without traveling these paths in the jungle, we risk irrelevancy and miss our purpose. We, as parents must lead the way.

To paraphrase the gospel, we are simply raising our children to follow Jesus: “For God loved sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, and religiously proud people in such a way that He risked His own Son to show them His love.” (John 3:16, my adaptation)

Jesus’ messianic feasts with unholy guests incensed the religious leaders of His day. But it was our Lord who invited everyone to the party. He is our leader, so we want to follow. We want everyone at the table too.

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