By Zach Dodd, WEGO Director
“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”
-Psalm 103:13-14
The backdrop was Metropolitan Baptist Church in Houston, TX, in the late 80s. You know, way back in the 1900s. As the pastor’s kid (PK, if you’re down with the lingo), my job description was pretty straightforward. Spend every waking minute at church exploring the catwalks, closets, and every square inch of the place. I could probably still walk those three levels with my eyes closed and lead you straight to the wafers and grape juice.
One specific day is still lodged in my memories. I was out doing my best to fulfill my PK duties in one of the many hallways while my mom and dad were doing pastor and pastor’s wife stuff after church. I was all by myself, without a care in the world, when I spotted my worst enemy. An usher. And he was out to get me.
I’m sure the ushers were wonderful people and servants of that church. But in my experience up to that point, they were more like the Baptist Illuminati. They carried military-grade walkie-talkies and flashlights that burned your eyes. They wore matching red sports coats like some British battalion, which I’m sure it took a top-secret ceremony to obtain. If I had to guess, years of eluding them is probably how I found the crackers and juice.
I ducked and dodged that day, but finally, somehow got busted. I bet they ganged up on me and had a group of agents, I mean, ushers, lying in wait around the corner. I was escorted to pastor kid jail, where I awaited my dad/pastor/judge/executioner to take his seat in court. The image of them dragging me before my dad in the hallway and the conversation that followed still feels visceral. It was one of those plot twists that keeps you talking about a movie for days. The interaction went something like this.
“Pastor, your child here was running around the church building after the service. It is unacceptable for the pastor’s son to be acting like this.”
Instead of scolding me, my dad turned his ire towards my captor.
“No, that is not true. He might have been running around, but he is not to be treated differently just because he is the pastor’s son. Just let him be a kid.”
Three and a half decades later, I’m still thinking about that quick interaction. I don’t even think it matters what they really said or meant in that moment. What matters is what my little brain and heart heard:
My dad loved me as I was, and it made me feel safe. His love had nothing to do with my performance, my social standing, the color of my jacket, or how I made him look in public. He had compassion on me and saw through the PK pressure placed on my tiny shoulders. In that moment, I was no longer the pastor’s son or a son of anarchy. I was my father’s son. And that distinction transformed both that moment and me.
In the deepest sense, that is the exact thing I want us to really pray for all the children in our ministries. Of course, we want them to pursue good choices, biblical holiness, and academic excellence – all the things my dad also wanted for me. But that’s just the aftermath of first being loved by their Father. There is nothing more tragic, no matter the age, than living with that backward. Good performance gets you liked. But real, heavenly love transcends behavior. I am not sure we truly discover real love while only standing on the top of a podium with medals around our necks. We learn it while we are still dust-made sinners, with an usher pulling us by the ear out of a jail cell.
So, let’s put down our walkie-talkies and pray for Madelyn, Sael, and Yaritza from our Bible club in Nicaragua right now. Pray they know the deep love and compassion of Jesus through their families, churches, and our Bible Club. May God break through any subconscious attempts to find performance-based love and acceptance. May they find they have nothing to prove – only receive and respond to the all-powerful love of Jesus.
How You Can Pray
FROM MADELYN TATIANA TRAÑA
My name is Madelyn, and I am 7 Years old. My mom’s name is Nury Tatiana Peralta, and my dad’s name is Marlon José Traña. I am the only child. I love rice with chicken, as well as fried chicken with avocado. I love playing with my toys. My favorite thing about the Bible club is when we sing, paint, and get to know more about Jesus.
HOW YOU CAN PRAY FOR MADELYN
1) Please pray for my mom’s health, so that she will always be able to take care of me
2) For my family’s daily bread
3) Pray I keep the Ten Commandments every day
FROM SAEL ESTEBAN
My name is Sael. I am in 4th grade, and I am 8 Years old. I live in the Roman Esteban community. My family attends Iglesia Getsemani, and my dad is the pastor of the church. I love him and I love my family. I have one older brother and one older sister. They both attended New Hope School. I love praying and helping my dad and mom at home. I like to draw and paint. I love going to the Bible club because I love learning about Jesus. I also love eating fried chicken and drinking Coke.
HOW YOU CAN PRAY FOR SAEL
1) Ask God to give good health to my family
2) Pray I get good grades in school this year
3) Pray we always have provision from God
FROM YARITZA TATIANA GAGO
My name is Yaritza Tatiana Gago. I am 8 years old. My birthday will be on December 4th. I will be 9. I have two brothers and one sister. We all live together with my mom and dad in the Roman Esteban community. My family attends Iglesia Getsemani. I love playing outside with my cousins. I also love going to the Bible club. I love that we get to learn more about Jesus through painting and crafts. We pray and sing to the Lord. I love praying to God as much as I can. I am in 4th grade and have good grades. Every time I want to say something I shouldn’t, the Lord helps me not to say those things. We all love the Bible Club and our teacher, Miriam.
HOW YOU CAN PRAY FOR YARITZA
1) Pray for God to provide for my family
2) For me to be able to pass my school year
3) Pray for our salvation