Summer is the season of church camps and conferences. Long weeks of early mornings, late nights, and suitcases overflowing.
For parents of little ones, it is exhilarating and excruciating. There’s nothing quite like watching your little one praying in the children’s service. There is also nothing quite like wrangling a one-year-old through an entire service with concrete floors and no nursery.
But can I encourage a young mom for a second? Mama, it is worth it.
It’s worth it, it’s worth it, it’s worth it.
Your kids may be too little to fully understand what’s going on. They may resist the early mornings and late nights. You may spend half the services shushing a cranky little one in the back or stuffing baby Puffs into her mouth to silence the ear-piercing screams. It may feel like you spent hours packing and planning beautifully coordinated outfits, only to show up late to church with soggy fruit loops drying on your baby’s dress and your hair slicked back in your Monday morning ‘do because who has time to unpack the curlers? It may feel like you spent your vacation days and hard-earned money on a church conference that you are barely able to take part of. You may ask yourself a hundred times over, “Why am I doing this, again?” You may feel overwhelmed or embarrassed or tired or alone.
But can I say it again? It’s worth it.
You are immersing your children in an environment where miracles can happen. Their norm will be dynamic worship and anointed preaching and powerful altars. You are giving them a taste of the Divine. You are covering them in His presence. If you wait until it gets “easy” to bring your children to church, then you’ve waited too late.
They are listening and learning and soaking it in. And you are, too.
Don’t you know that God sees your sacrifice? Don’t you know that He sees your heart? He can minister to you and meet your needs regardless of whether you’ve sat through an entire worship set or heard the whole message.
It’s worth it.
Every effort, every dollar, every package of fruit snacks, every moment spent in the service, and every moment spent pacing the halls. It’s worth it.
As a mama who’s also buying stock in fruit snacks in the midst of conference and camp season with my third baby, I can testify that it’s worth it. I watched my firstborn at a church conference this past year, hands raised, tears streaming, crying out to God as He filled her with the gift of His spirit. It’s worth it.
