by Kathy Sinclair
Jesus was the master of teaching profound, Kingdom truths through engaging stories – for those who had ears to hear! The story of the Wise and Foolish Builders found in Matthew 7:24-27 is a bit like an onion, it’s multi-layered! At a big picture level, it speaks to me of worldview, it asks the question of me – “what matters to you in life and what do you find worth investing your life in? Is it going to be of eternal value, leaving a legacy – or are you going to have the attitude of “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die?”
It's interesting that over the years, studies have shown that the responses of children to the age-old question “what do you want to do when you grow up?” – the replies have significantly shifted in more recent times. In the past children would often say: a doctor, a nurse, a teacher, a postman etc. – mainly jobs that had a service ethic. Today, many young people reply that first and foremost they want to be famous. Many aspire to be an influencer on social media. Being a sports start was rated 10 times more highly than being a nurse. It seems, countless teenagers are chasing the roughly 3% of replacement jobs actually available in the fields of culture, media and elite sports. It’s simply not realistic! Now there are many reasons why there has been this shift and you could discuss it all day! However, perhaps at the core, is the shift in our society values. Jesus taught that “you reap what you sow” – we live in a Western culture that idolizes celebrity, status and wealth – and so its hardly surprising these aspirations are reflected in what many young people want to do with their lives.
When I was in Nepal in January 2019 visiting the amazing work of BWAA’s Christian partners, our team asked young people this same question - what were they were hoping to do with their lives? All the young people we spoke to were so grateful for the opportunity to be educated as their parents had not been to school. Overwhelmingly, their dream was to go away to train and then return to serve their communities. Training to be teachers, doctors, nurses and so on were the most popular choices. One young man even dreamt of being a politician, hoping to bring positive change to the nation of Nepal.
Thinking of Jesus’s story about the builders – where is your life focus going to be? - these young people had a focus on serving others. Although they had all originally come from very impoverished backgrounds, they were rich in the true sense of the word! Through the education they had received by being in the community programmes, funded by generous people back here in Australia, they were dreaming big of the changes they could make to benefit others. It seemed they were building their lives on the rock, and they would leave a legacy for future generations. How wonderful that in Nepal many people are coming to faith in Christ through the practical love and help BWAA’s partners provide!
Its always good to dream! A very few young people will go on to be famous, but let’s help our children appreciate you don’t have to be well known to be successful. Let’s help them to see the big picture and how there can be great satisfaction and joy in serving others and building your house on the rock.
Kathy Sinclair is the BWAA Church Relationship Manager in Western Australia. Kathy joined Baptist World Aid in January 2019. She comes to the role having spent 11-years on staff at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Western Australia, as the Children and Families Pastor. In more recent years, she also held responsibility for overseeing the church’s mission ministry. Kathy has been a speaker for Christian Women Communicating Internationally (CWCI) for several years, where she enjoys the privilege of travelling around Western Australia to teach God’s word. She enjoys visiting church communities to share about the work of Baptist World Aid and how individuals and congregations can respond effectively to God’s heart for the poor and needy. Kathy is married to Mark and has two children and a daughter-in-law.
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