Teaching Children About Jesus
Just let them see your light y’all.
As Christians it is our hope and prayer that we will find some way to teach our kiddos about Jesus. This could even be a topic that causes us some stress and anxiety. We may ask ourselves, “Am I doing this right?” “Am I doing enough?” We may even compare ourselves to other parents around us. If you are anything like me… you may do all of the above.
I believe the Bible, God’s Word, to be absolute truth. No if, ands, or buts about it. However, I am no Bible expert. I am relatively new to the Bible Study scene. I haven’t read it cover to cover or had deep theological debates, but I can share what God has revealed to me and what beliefs are on my heart.
I am a mom of two handsome and vibrant boys. Our oldest son is Whit, he is five years old. Our youngest son is Till, he is a little over a year old. I count both of their birthdays as some of the most blessed days of my life. Let me tell y’all what I have discovered about five year old boys, or at least what seems to be the case with mine. They really love to side with daddy. I am out numbered in my household and it seems to bring Whit great joy to play the gang up on momma game. Although, he has a heart of gold, and usually follows it up by saying “it’s okay momma, you can be on the boys team!”
I have also noticed that he loves to disagree or choose the opposite of everything I say. Here is the way it usually goes down. Whit will need something. It could be he is hungry for a snack, he wants to watch a movie, or wants us to print him a color page. I will say “well, what would you like?” He will respond “Hmm, I don’t know.” As moms do, I start spitting out ideas: “How about I make you a PBJ sandwich, we could watch Spider-Man, or I can print you a Hulk color page.” None of these ideas are ever good enough in his book. He immediately suggests choices that are polar opposites. “I’ll take some chicken nuggets” (which he said last week he didn’t like anymore), “We can watch a Batman show” (a complete opposite superhero universe, if you weren’t already aware), “Can you print me Wolverine?” (Hulk is so last year). I say all of this to say that if I were to mention reading a Bible story or watching a Christian movie to Whit, it just wouldn’t be a good idea to him. Mom’s don’t have cool ideas. Trust me, I have tried my best. We could force him and pull the “because I said so” card, but I think there is a better way.
The brighter way is this:
Just letting them see our light for Jesus.
Make Jesus an everyday topic in your household. Pray with your children. Take them to church. Read your Bible in front of them. About a year ago, my husband started praying out loud each night with Whit. We also pray before our meals, in the car when we go on a trip, when something big comes up in our life, and in general just much more often than we used to. I have noticed a fruit that developed from this practice. When we have our moments of prayer, we will ask Whit if he would like to say it, and he will now confidently say yes. He prays beautifully. He usually prays nearly an exact prayer that my husband has said. He says things like “Lord, we love you and we praise you!” or “Lord, give us strength and courage!” There have been moments when his prayers have truly brought tears to my eyes. And y’all… we didn’t force it. We didn’t make him sit for a certain amount of time each day and practice. This by no means is a shot at any parents who may do it this way, to each their own. I have just noticed that when we force ideas on him, it is usually a no go. When we let him just follow by example it seems to take shape all on its own.
Let me give you another example that involves both boys. My husband and I make it a priority to read our Bibles each day. There are Bibles laying on our couch, sitting on our kitchen table, or wherever we may have had the chance to read last. If our son Till sees a Bible, he points and says “Jesus!” We never explicitly taught him that the Bible was about Jesus. I mean, he is a one year old kiddo. He also, in the most adorable fashion, bows his head when we pray and finishes the prayer with us saying “Amen!” We never taught him that either. He just caught on. As far as Whit goes, there have been many nights when he noticed us reading our Bibles and ran to get his own. He wanted to be like us. He wanted to do what we were doing. There was a week recently where he took his Bible to school everyday. Each evening he wanted us to read David and Goliath. He was just obsessed with the story. He even asked his teacher to read it in class. Another win that wasn’t forced. Isn’t it so much more rewarding when they come to love things all on their own. It is kind of like when you tell your spouse that they should just apologize to make things better. They say “I’m sorry,” but it just doesn’t mean as much as it would have without the prompting.
It happens naturally!
If we make Jesus a priority in our lives. If we say his name often. Pray out loud. Attend church regularly. It will come naturally to our children. In the New Testament there are many accounts where this is said, but I will quote Mark 4:9: Then Jesus said “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” He means those that are humble and willing to learn, and let me tell you, kiddos are very willing to hear and learn!
Matthew 8:13 says “Truly I tell you, unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” As parents we have to humble ourselves and do our best to reflect the heart of Jesus. Jesus did not force people to believe, he invited them to follow him. Invite your kids to follow you in your walk of faith.
I’ll wrap it up by sharing a wonderful sermon I recently listened to by Pastor Mark Driscoll. It discusses what faith looks like as a parent. Click the link below to have a listen.
What Does Faith Look Like as a Parent | Mark Driscoll
My favorite quote from this sermon was: “The best way to be a good parent is to learn to be a good child.”
Have a blessed day y’all!