LIVE IT: Do something special to pour life into a child today.
I love the simple faith that children exhibit when discussing God. I remember asking a group of 5-yr-olds what they would thank God for if limited to just one thing. One said, "I would thank God for skunks." I asked him why on earth would he be thankful for skunks. He said, "My mom says we are to thank God for everything, and I think that's the hardest thing to thank Him for; so that would be my one thing." He wanted to give his best to God by doing the thing hardest for him. There's some good logic in that. Another child said, "I would thank God for God." Well, that says it all, doesn't it?
In my many years teaching at Glenview Christian School, I was privileged to observe the faith of children. I had one first grader come to me to talk after Bible time. Earlier in the week, we had a lesson on Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden and away from the tree of life. He had asked, "So what's all this talk about that Heaven place, if no one can eat from that tree and get there anymore?" The other students did their best to express the gospel in a nutshell, and I told him to stay tuned for further lessons because Genesis was just the beginning of the story. Now he was demanding to talk to me "while those other kids are busy doing seatwork." He asked questions, and I answered with the good news of salvation. I asked him if he wanted to pray and surrender to Jesus to be the "boss of his life." He said he thought it might make his dad mad (the family was not in church, and as far as I know his father did not profess Christ). I answered him that he might be right: his dad might not be happy about it. He thought for a minute and said, "Well, the way I see it, God is bigger than my dad. Let's pray!" The faith of a child!
More recently, I've had the opportunity to talk to my great-nephew about God. One Sunday after church, he climbed into his car seat singing, "I am so glad that God made me." I said, "I'm glad God made you, too!" He asked, "But Aunt Susie, how did God make me?" I was not sure the birds and bees discussion should be had with a 4-yr-old but plowed on anyway.
"Remember when baby brother was inside Mommy's tummy?"
"Yes."
"God was making baby brother inside Mommy."
"It took a long time."
"It does take a long time for God to put everything together. Then when He was finished, he let baby brother know it was time to come out."
"And baby brother told Mommy, and she went to the hospital and said take him out, he's done."
"That's right. God made you the same way. Inside your Mommy's tummy."
"Oh, okay. I am so glad that God made me!"
I'm so glad he didn't ask how baby brother got inside Mommy's tummy in the first place or why God would choose to do it that way. We've also had conversations about how old God is and why God takes people to heaven when he knows we'll miss them. I pray for wisdom every time I take him to church because I know there will be more questions. I thank God for the privilege of sharing with him and being encouraged by him. Sometimes my nephew's conclusion when he can't quite understand it all is simply, "That's because He's God."
Father, help me to have the faith of a child,
to accept that I don't have to understand.
I simply need to trust in your love,
and know that you have things perfectly planned.
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