being strong

I have a lot of conversations with my grandsons about being a soldier. They see my memorabilia and have questions. Like most folks who haven’t served, they have some funny ideas of what being a soldier is all about.

Mostly, they think being strong and fit and having the skills to fight means you can do whatever you want. Who’s going to stop you?

I try to get them to see the truth of Romans 15:1: “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” I try to teach them that soldiers see their role not as doing what they feel like or taking what they want, but as protecting and enabling all the people around them who are less strong. Little kids, I tell them, are vulnerable so big kids need to look after them, not prey on them.

Paul’s point, of course, wasn’t about physical strength, but about strength of faith. Far from asserting themselves in the church or using their status to direct things, mature Christians should instead think of the needs of those coming behind them on their faith walks. We should step into the hard church situations rather than put them in places where it will be hard to live out their faiths. We should look at worship and ministry through their eyes, to ensure they are well-fed and nurtured toward their own strength.

Church isn’t just to sustain us long-time Christians. Church is where we grow and nurture new believers.