Heroes

Some of the people who shape history never become famous themselves. Anthusa was one of them.

She lived in Antioch in the fourth century and was widowed when she was only 20 years old. Rather than remarry, she devoted herself to raising her two children. One of those children was John Chrysostom.

John would grow up to become one of the great preachers and Christian leaders of his time, eventually becoming bishop of Constantinople. His writings are still read more than 1,600 years later.

But before any of that, he was simply Anthusa’s little boy. And he was watching.

Anthusa taught her children the Scriptures, but she did something even more important. She lived what she taught. Her faith wasn’t reserved for religious conversations. It was simply part of who she was.

Years later, John would emphasize that one of the most effective ways Christians can share their faith is by the way they live. I have to believe he learned some of that at home.

That’s the thing about being a parent. We don’t always know which moments our children are paying attention to. We may think we’re simply making dinner, driving to school, dealing with a difficult person, or trying to get through a very long Tuesday.

They’re watching how we treat people. They’re watching what we do when things don’t go our way. They’re watching whether the faith we talk about at church has anything to do with the way we live on Monday.

And yes, they’re watching what we do when we get it wrong.

That’s actually good news, because being an example doesn’t mean being perfect. Sometimes one of the most important things we can model is how to apologize, forgive, and begin again.

Anthusa couldn’t have known that the little boy watching her would someday influence generations of Christians. She was simply his mother, living her faith in front of him.

Parents, never underestimate the power of that. You may think you’re living another ordinary day, but someone may be learning how to live by watching you.

Yours in faith,

Roy