Did I put childish things away too soon?

With our annual Children’s Easter event now complete, I found it rather refreshing that older kids were willing to attend in rather large numbers. The 9 year-old through sixth grade group seemed to have a great time and was willing to sacrifice some pride for fun. I was amused to hear their stories of success and failure trying to obtain the gold, silver, or coveted Mooie the cow egg.
While growing numbers are not necessarily a sign of success, we certainly have seen an increase in attendance the past two years. I must admit though, with only eight kids listed in the 5-8 year-old group at ten minutes to our start, I was a bit worried. I wasn’t concerned about the number as much as the fact that each of these eight kids would be able to collect over 175 eggs each!
Having a passion for history and especially Christian history, I realize the rabbit and the egg are from pagan origins. Honestly, I use to struggle a little with the whole egg hunt ritual, but I think it’s important to become all things to all men as Paul said in First Corinthians 9:19-23. I will gladly welcome anyone outside of the faith to a fun traditional event in order to present Christ and the gospel.
Getting back to the reason for writing this…was there a reason? Oh yes, doing something uncomfortable or perhaps out of character for the Gospel of Christ. Although it can be difficult, I think the sacrifice of a little pride is well worth it. As parents we want to lead and raise our children toward adult maturity by slowly steering them away from immature acts.
I am definitely not the one to ask about putting away childish things…I’m the biggest kid I know. I think events like this though, are a great opportunity to reflect on their significance and to have fun as a family with our children. It’s wonderful to see how an occasion like this can bring a community and church family closer together. It was even more exciting to see my fellow Christian brothers and sisters humble themselves in a child-like fashion.