When Sophie Grows Up

Last week was the kids open house at school. This is the one and only year where all four kids will be at the same school and so we had to cruise through several classrooms full of science fair projects, history reports, ancient civilization clay models, artwork, and even baby chicks. It was a great night celebrating each of our four really great kids.

The highlight of the evening for me however, was the "about me" book that Sophie is holding up in the picture. It is hard to read, but this page of her book says, "When I grow up, I want to be ________." She filled in her blank with "a pastor" and then drew a picture of what I think is PazNaz.

Obviously, I was really touched by what she wrote. I think it is a testimony to how loved she feels by the people at church and how much our family really does enjoy being in ministry. I'm not sure she will hold to this dream. The next day she told me that she planned on being a pastor and a zoo-keeper... But my other thought was, "If God does call her, I hope the church by then will be ready for her." On the one hand, I mean that, if you've met Sophie you know that she's 6 going on 36, and so I hope the church would be ready for the little live-wire that she is, but on the other hand, I also hope by then the church would be ready to fully embrace her in ministry.

I don't know if any of our four children will continue the unusual legacy of ministry that our family has carried for a few generations now. I have kind of been hoping that they will all be doctors (the kind that can help people) and support their mother and me in our old age. But usually when people think about one of them carrying on the family legacy of church ministry they usually talk about one of the boys in that capacity. Again, that would be fine with me, but if it ends up being Sophie, I hope the church is ready for her.

 

Comments

[Chris Johnson]

I think it will be, though she'll have to hear from a few parishioners who unfortunately think differently. It's also a great compliment to you--she thinks highly of who you are and what you're doing, and kids can be terrific truth detectors.

Still, if you're looking to be taken care of in your old age, at least one child should be an investment banker--that pays even better than a brain surgeon.

[Laura]

That made me cry. You rock, Sophie girl!! God draws straight with crooked lines... He's beautiful like that even if the church is ugly to us.... just remember to stare at His beauty in the church's ugliness, but don't deny the ugliness either (b/c that won't make it go away). Scott, on June 2nd, I'll lecture about women in ministry at Fuller. May I share this story with the students and remind them to make the church ready for Sophie?

[Scott]

Laura,
Absolutely. You may use it.
Blessings - Scott