Children, Fear & God

Last week, I witnessed an amazing act of faith and trust in God by my 6 year olds. My son and his sister were told to walk into a room in our home, and the light was off, so neither of them wanted to do it.  (I don’t know if any of you parents deal with this issue, but I have had to interrupt many meals and important tasks to go to the bathroom with one of my kids, or help them reach the light in their bedroom before they will enter.)  So, my daughter starts self-talking, praying to God to help her “be brave” and my son runs into our dining room, grabs an index card off the middle of the table, and runs back to the doorway. Then he reads it aloud, “Give all your worries to Him, because He cares for you. 1Peter 5:7.” Then he musters up all his courage, chest held high, and goes into the room like a valiant knight and turns on the light for himself and his sister! 

Such a simple act, but this interchange is such a big deal to me for many reasons! First, I am a mother to 4 children in this home, and one in Heaven.  Also, my husband’s job takes him away sometimes, and I have extended times of solo parenting.  So, watching my children work together and solve a problem by themselves is awesome!  Another, and honestly, more important reason, is the fact that they chose to trust in God.  They asked Him for help in their time of need, both going about it in different ways, yet both grasping the concept that Jesus us ALWAYS with us, ready to help us through any situation, if we are open to it.  They had faith that God would protect them from any and all of their worst feared monsters (and you and I both know that children have very vivid imaginations, and as silly as they seem to us adults, these threats are real to them).  This moment renewed my heart and spirit, reminding me to keep persevering in this life as a Christian mommy.

This week, I encourage you to start (or keep giving) your children ways to reach out to God.  And, do it lots of different ways if you can so that each child’s personality and way of worship is represented.  My daughter has always had a more open relationship with God, talking to Him often and believing in Him without a doubt from the beginning.  My son, on the other hand, asks lots of questions and takes more time to process Bible stories. He is sometimes hesitant to reach out for help from a God that he cannot see.  Even though he didn’t know the Bible verse by heart, he knew where he could find it.  I know that scripture memorization is difficult for me, which is why I have hundreds of bookmarks in my Bible app tagged with words to help me find it more easily.  The Bible can be overwhelming to some, so start with a verse a week, or one a day, and talk it over. 

Get a children’s devotional guide and read it-we often do ours on the way to school, and then pray before I drop them all off. 

Write Bible verses on index cards and leave them places the kids see them (i.e. on the dining room table, on their bathroom mirror, on their bedroom door, on the refrigerator).  We read the verse of the week at dinner, and so having it right there is easiest for me.

Pray aloud with them AND for them.  Talking to someone you can’t see is hard.  They are still learning to understand concepts like mortality and third person perspectives, so they need a role model to help them know and understand that NOTHING is wrong when praying to God.  Encourage children to just pray from their hearts, and be patient with it. God knows our hearts, and can decipher it just fine without us fine tuning it for Him.  Teach children to pray not only for themselves and their family, but for others.  You can be specific about the person and what you are praying for (i.e. “We pray for Grandpa and healing of his cancer, Lord. For strength as he gets his special medicine that fights it, and for Gigi as she helps take care of him.”)

And, lastly, enjoy these moments with your children. Pause and tell them how much you love them, and that Jesus loves them EVEN MORE!  Celebrate the times when you see their discipleship skills developing, and their personal relationship with God blossoming. Here are a few scriptures to remind us of the power of prayer, and of being good role models for our children.

James 1:5-8 (MSG) If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the Lord’s people.

Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.