Navigating Life

I just learned about Polynesian Navigation from our oldest son who just finished a semester at SEA. Quite an experience. And Polynesian Navigation is a great analogy for faith formation in the family.

Polynesian sailors were the first to sail the seas far from shore and it was only possible because of how they navigated. They used mostly the stars but also other natural phenomenon like the waves of the ocean. They studied things extensively and intensively...that means they knew the stars and the waves and the other things they used backward and forward. And then they made sure that they passed that information on to the next generation, starting at a very early age. It was critical to their survival and safe voyage over open seas.

It seems they knew the stars well enough that on a cloudy night, if there happened to be a quick opening in the cloud cover and they caught a glimpse of even a few stars, they could immediately get a fix on where they were. Or on cloudy nights they could tell direction and where they were in relation to a nearby island by the sound of the waves on the side of the boat. They knew their stuff and they used it to live by.

So it is with faith formation. Know God's Word, study it hard - and pass it on to the next generation - your kids! It is critical for survival and safe voyage through the seas of life. Do you know the Bible that well? Do your children? Is your relationship with Jesus strong and familiar? If not, start there. If you have a strong relationship but your children don't yet, start the conversation with them. It can be done at any and every age - and hopefully the faith conversations never stop! Your own strong relationship with Jesus is the best way to ensure that your children will have one too.

Power of Story

I'll share concerns and cautions about media as I did in the last post, but I much prefer to talk about and recommend positive media. Bella is a must-see movie. From Metanoia Films, this movie tells a powerful story with care and grace. Bella is about life and family and friendship and fear and faith and forgiveness and much more. In a way that so many movies do not, Bella tackles these deep subjects with a clarity and purpose that invites you to think and to feel.

It would be a great movie to see with your children - much to talk about after the shared experience.