So a certain Gathering Sparks reader (who may or may not be related to me) called me out for referring to "my kids" in my comment on Scot McKnight's blog. "Is there something you're not telling me?" she wrote.
So in the interest of full disclosure, I decided to write a tell-all blog post revealing the real truth about my "kids." When I came across this video, I knew that Bret and Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords put it better than I ever could:
So in the interest of full disclosure, I decided to write a tell-all blog post revealing the real truth about my "kids." When I came across this video, I knew that Bret and Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords put it better than I ever could:
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So that's right, I don't have kids (yet). I do have a real wife though. (Promise!) What follows is my attempt to justify having "hypothetical" kids...
Having kids may seem pretty far off. Right now you're probably thinking more about finishing school, or figuring out your major, or finding a job--not to mention finding someone you'd actually want to have kids with!
The Torah commands us to "teach [God's commandments] diligently to our children" (Deut. 6:7). In fact, this command follows immediately after the command which Yeshua called "the greatest commandment"--to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. That means it must be pretty important, right?
Is there anything we who don't have kids yet can do about this commandment right now? A few ideas come to mind:
So that's right, I don't have kids (yet). I do have a real wife though. (Promise!) What follows is my attempt to justify having "hypothetical" kids...
Having kids may seem pretty far off. Right now you're probably thinking more about finishing school, or figuring out your major, or finding a job--not to mention finding someone you'd actually want to have kids with!
The Torah commands us to "teach [God's commandments] diligently to our children" (Deut. 6:7). In fact, this command follows immediately after the command which Yeshua called "the greatest commandment"--to love God with all our heart, soul, and might. That means it must be pretty important, right?
Is there anything we who don't have kids yet can do about this commandment right now? A few ideas come to mind:
- Invest in your own spiritual growth. (This will one day benefit your kids, since you will be one of their main teachers.)
- Invest in your community. (You may end up raising your kids there!) If you want your kids to have a strong Jewish identity and strong faith in Yeshua, then having a strong community to reinforce both of those things is essential.
- Help out with childcare in your community. (Something of a combination of #1 and #2...)
2 comments:
Yahnatan,
By the way ... love your throwing in Flight of the Conchords.
We need to take our "hypothetical kids" seriously. Monique and I also do not have kids yet. BUT ... These "kids" are what actually motivate me to do what I do. Why? Because I want to build the type of Messianic Judaism I would want to raise my kids in.
Many of my younger colleagues feel the same way. There are indeed great things about the Messianic Jewish Movement today. Yet, I often ask myself if this is really the movement within Judaism I want them to be raised in. Because that answer is yes, myself and a number of other leaders out there are working hard to build a more mature Messianic Judaism that we will be proud to raise our "hypothetical kids" in.
After all, if we are not working toward the future, why bother. I would rather leave behind something I am proud of.
Amen, Rabbi Joshua!
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