The Way

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled…You know the way.”

No, we don’t know, Lord. We don’t know the way.

“I am the Way...

Love me and obey what I have taught…

Don’t be afraid.

Just follow and I will give you peace.”

From John 14:15-27

Have you ever lost your child? Maybe temporarily in a Department store or in a large crowd? It is horrifying. We want them to stay near to us so that we can keep them safe and when they wonder away, even if they don’t panic, we do because we know the potential danger they are in.

When I look at the things Jesus said to His disciples, I often see them through a Mom’s eyes. That’s just the kind of eyes I happen to have. In His unfathomable love, He doesn’t want us to wander away into danger. Yep, I get that. He wants us close in order to keep us safe, even if we don’t recognize the danger around us. Makes perfect sense to me. He wants us to be like sheep who recognize the voice of their shepherd and follow him through the gate to a safe place. It is His voice that keeps them safe. Sheep aren’t smart creatures, but they can recognize the voice of the one that cares for them and they know to follow that voice and not that of a stranger. Sometimes kids aren’t as smart as sheep and are easily enticed by the wrong, deceitful voice.

In another place, Jesus tells his disciples that we are to take His yoke and learn from Him. As a pair of yoked oxen works together and moves together, they accomplish much more than they could alone, feeling the rhythm of each other, moving together as one. Walking with Jesus, yoked to Him, we will learn to walk in the way He planned for us. That is totally what I want for my kids. I want them to see Jesus as wanting to make their way better, not burdensome.

When Jesus is closing in on His final days with His disciples and warning them of what is coming, they feel the panic of trying to remember all they have been taught and the terror of doing life without their leader. How will they know what to do and how to do it when He is no longer walking by their side leading them? Jesus basically let them know that He wasn’t going to be able to hand them a roadmap or devotional or textbook that would keep them on the right path. Instead he simply stated that if they really wanted to keep their feet on the right track and follow the path God had ordained for them, they must remember one thing… “I AM THE WAY.”  How many unnecessary lectures have my kids heard because I wanted them to get it right? Perhaps I just needed to point them to Jesus… and since they can’t see Him, I needed to be the Jesus follower that they could see.

As a parent, we want our children to follow Jesus. We want them to find their purpose. We want them to recognize the voice of the Shepherd and find their way to the Gate. We want them to know the path that God wants them to take. But, how do we raise them in such a manner that they will believe the statement Jesus made when He said, “I AM THE WAY?”

The answer is simple, but not easy. If we are going to help them to understand that we believe God’s Word is TRUTH and the Jesus is the WAY to God and the WAY to life and the WAY to heaven, then we simply must begin to live as though we believe it. We have to spend time sitting at our Savior’s feet and listening to His voice. We will only recognize it if we already are familiar with His teachings. We see heinous crimes on the news and hear the defendant claim that they heard God tell them to commit that crime. We know it isn’t true because we know the character of God and God wouldn’t tell them to do something contrary to His nature. The more you read the Story of God that we find in the Bible, the better you know the character of God and the better you know Him, the more you recognize His voice.

When you are yoked to Jesus, you walk in step with Him. You love as He loves. You forgive and show grace as He does. You care for the “least of these.” You learn His ways and then you know where to put your foot next… one step at a time. When you live life like that, your kids learn the value of being yoked to Jesus. They see the freedom in letting go of the fear of the unknown and the joy of walking in step with the One who designed the life that was planned for them.

What happens in your home on a regular basis that demonstrates to your children that you believe Jesus is THE WAY?  It may be easier to teach them the way that you feel is right or to believe what you say is true. The effective and Godly way, however, to show them THE WAY is to walk in it, confidently knowing that He is a faithful and trustworthy Father. He is a loving and compassionate Shepherd. He is who He says He is. He is the Way.

Ultimately your kids have a free will, just like you. You cannot force them to follow Jesus, but if you complicate the way to walk with Jesus, they will just be bewildered. Live it out and keep it as simple as A B C D…

Admit that you need a Guide in life.

Believe that it is the One who came to die so that you could live.

Choose to be yoked to Him and learn of Him.

Disciple your kids as Jesus did His followers, so that they can find their way as they walk in step with THE WAY.