How to Disciple from an Empty Nest
- Jan 1, 2016
- 2 min read
The more my wife and I try to disciple our 3 young children, the more I wonder what it will be like when they grow up and leave our home. What will it be like to have an empty seat at the kitchen table; to have an empty room; to have 3 empty chairs and 3 empty rooms?
And I wonder, how will we still disciple them and encourage them to enjoy Christ and his Gospel once they are away?
Family devotions and times of worship and prayer can be challenging when we're all living under the same roof. But after investing in their discipleship for 18 years, I can only imagine what new challenges will come when we don't see each other every day.
I have many friends at my church who haved navigated this transition well, finding ways to continue to encourage their children in their walk with Jesus, even after they move out of their home. I am learning from these examples, tucking them away, only to draw on them years from now.
There is another example that brings me hope that discipleship can outlast their teenage years. This example is found in the Old Testament book of Job.
Job had 10 children: 7 sons & 3 daughters. Scripture tells us that Job feared God and turned away from evil, to the point that he desired the same for his 10 kids. In fact, even when they were away, even when they had their own homes and no longer lived under his roof, even when he didn't see them everyday, Job was invested in their spiritual walks.
Whenever Job's children would get together for a feast, Job would rise early the next morning and offer burnt offerings for them to God, just in case one of the seven had sinned at the feast or cursed God.
This is how we can disciple from an empty nest. Rather than allowing the Empty Nest Syndrome to overwhelm, and rather than believing that our roles of parents expire when they turn 18, we can, like Job, become intercessors for our children.
We can be their prayer warriors. We can set our alarms, wake up early in the morning, and bring our children to the feet of Christ in prayer. Just as many dedicate their babies to the Lord, we continue to dedicate them to the Lord regardless of their age or address.
As Christmas break ends and older children return to their homes, the Empty Nest parents are left with an opportunity to step into the role of Prayer Warrior for their children, lest they sin, curse God, and find themselves on a path leading to destruction.
Let us resolve this year that there will be no one who prays for our children more than we do!
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