If Necessary

           You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.  (II Timothy 2:1-2)

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (Deuteronomy 11:19)

Not only are we to make sure that the foundations on which we build are true and strong, but we are to help those around us to build foundations that are just as true and just as strong. We are to teach, and, havin been a teacher, I can tell you that it’s hard work. It takes thought and work to prepare the lesson, and it always seems as if we have to teach it over and over… and over.

I know that lots of people think Francis of Assisi was correct when he (supposedly) said, “Preach the gospel, use words if necessary.” And then they decide that words are never necessary. The problem with this is summed up in the story in which a child asks her mother why her mother cuts the ends of the roast before cooking it. The mother admits after a bit that she didn’t know. That was just the way her mother had always done it. The girl goes to the grandmother with the same question and gets the same answer. She goes to the great grandmother, who chuckles and admits that it was because when she was cooking roasts, the pan wasn’t big enough for the meat.

Scripture disagrees with Francis. Paul tells Timothy to impart what Paul had said to Timothy to faithful men who will teach others also. Moses told the Israelites to teach the Law to their children. They were to talk to their children about God’s principles when they sat at home, when they walked along the road, when they lie down and when they get up. In other words, they were to use words at any and every opportunity. This doesn’t mean that we’re to be all talk and no action. The answer it to both talk and walk the life.

Teaching when the going gets tough is even more difficult. Negative emotions and pain tend to lead us to spiral in on ourselves. Teaching from inside that spiral is hard, but it can be the best learning opportunity the student will get, because it shows them what the things you’re trying to teach look like in action. It shows what it’s like to pay the cost of maintaining the true foundation. It shows them that it’s not just a bunch of words. It prepares them for when they face struggles.