Martha & Greg

Much More Than A Village

Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Tuesday, April 1, 2008 7:45 AM

A few years back, Hillary Clinton usurped an old African proverb and wrote that it “takes a village to raise a child.” I never read her book, so I’m not certain about the assumptions that she made. I can draw my own conclusions from the theme, though. Without hesitation, I know the responsibility of rearing a child lies solely in the hands of the parents. But, I also know that in every child’s life there are others that have the opportunity to make a life-changing impact. So, to say it “takes a village” is much too institutional, too impersonal for my experience. Besides that immediate family, it takes grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, pastors, coaches and friends to mold and shape a child’s perspective and decisions. It takes those who are just as committed to that child’s well-being as the parents themselves to come along side and provide love, encouragement and support at every turn along the way.

I know this because I lived it. And, yesterday, I attended the memorial service for someone who, for every day that I’ve lived on this earth, loved me unfailingly and poured herself into my life. Ethel was not my mother, or any blood relation to me at all, but she hardly ever missed any ballgame I played, any concert I sang, and was in the congregation for many sermons I preached. She was there when I graduated, and when I got married. She was at the hospital when both of my children were born, then went to all of their football games and concerts. She sat with me at my Dad’s bedside as he went to be with the Lord. As my own mom stated so well when she spoke at the memorial service yesterday, our families were so intertwined that “sometimes it was hard to know whose kids belonged to whom.” Other than the occasional “You did so well!”, or “I’m so proud of you!”, Ethel didn’t have a lot to say about our connection, but then again, she really didn’t have to. I knew that she loved me as much as she did her own brood of five, and that she was completely committed to the fulfillment of God’s work in my life. She lived her faith in a way that let me know that the greatness of God stretched beyond the walls of my own home. Her life reinforced all that my parents were teaching me, and verified its validity.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our own agendas that we forget that those agendas are simply the starting point of our mission, and not the entirety of it. God’s call on our lives stretches far beyond the walls of our home. He has placed within our realm of influence many others to whom we have a responsibility. If we prescribe to the idea that “it takes a village to raise a child,” then that responsibility is faceless and too easily passed on to someone else. I am called to a commitment to others. God has crafted your days to bring you to a place of influence in someone’s life. It’s much more authentic than a village – it’s you!