Yesterday, my husband and I took our 15-month old to the doctor. After asking us about our daughter’s vocabulary and about the things she can and cannot do, the doctor advised us that she is months ahead in her development. Boy, was I proud!

We spend a lot of time talking to her, showing her things, and teaching her things. When we take her to the local park (the “whee whee whee”, as she calls it), it almost always includes a trip to the tropical greenhouse to see the fish (“ish”) and the turtles (“towtows”). We point out the birds and the squirrels. We colour together, paint together, and laugh together. I made word recognition flash cards for her and we ensure that we buy educational toys. Yes, as we drove home from the doctor’s office, I was feeling pretty good about our efforts.

All of these things are wonderful, and it’s great to see our little girl blossom. But after we arrived home, I began to seriously think. What if we spent even half the time on her spiritual development as we do on her physical and cognitive development? Are we setting a good example of what it means to know and love Christ? Are we incorporating spiritual lessons into the every day? Where are our priorities?

I have to be honest. We seem to relegate teaching our daughter about Jesus to a bedtime story, a nighttime prayer, and a twice weekly church service. When did we become so religious? What happened to our life-changing relationship with Jesus? It seems like, over the last few months, the passion has faded.

I was chatting with one of my pastors a few days ago. He has a teenager who is a model son – his passionate love for Jesus shows through in everything he does. In chatting with this pastor, he commented that the one thing that he and his wife did above all else was stay consistent in their relationship with God. Parents who are in love with Jesus produce children who are in love with Jesus.

Let me repeat that. Parents who are in love with Jesus produce children who are in love with Jesus.

Apparently there is nothing like a visit to the doctor’s office to cause you to evaluate your relationship with Christ and take stock of your priorities! Time for me to do some business with God.