Children // Faith // Ministry
A few Sundays ago, I was in kid's church, which is one of the most important and most underrated ministries in any church. It is underrated because many people think children's ministry is just playing with children, but is actively engaging in their spiritual lives. It's enriching for them. It's not just a break from big church, it is a unique learning and teaching opportunity. It is important because the opportunity to share the gospel is constant and the rate of conversion is higher than in any other ministry in most churches. Though many children do not pray with their Sunday school teachers for their conversion, the seeds planted from the lessons they are taught and the conversations they have from as early as infanthood are the instigators for many of their salvations. Children are incredibly impressionable and absorb a lot more than we realize. Often times I wonder if I am speaking well and telling them what they need to hear, but I think the more important question is am I listening to what they are saying? Children often tell us what we need to hear.
The children were learning one of my favorite lessons: Jesus loves the little children. The head teacher asked, "How often do you hear adults tell you to act more like children?"
For these children, the point of the lesson is that Jesus loves and welcomes them. For me as an adult, I learn constantly, by keeping an open eye and a listening ear, that children can help us learn a lot more than we think. What can a child teach us?
Childlike faith means asking questions.
"Is God as big as *this*" he asked, stretching his arms as wide as they would go.
"He's even bigger," I replied.
We were reading through Isaiah together (which is hard even for me as an adult to understand) and every few words he would stop me and ask what does that mean or what is that word. I would answer and we would return to reading. The chapter that would have took three or four minutes to read straight through instead took almost twenty minutes to read and explain.
I do not know how much more about God he understood from the slow paced reading and constant Q&A, but I know that there was one verse that he really helped me understand.
Childlike faith is boldly finding meaning to that which we think we understand.
"So to whom will you compare me, the Incomparable?
Can you picture me without reducing me?" (Isaiah 46:5, MSG) (MSG because it was the most reader friendly version on my phone for reading with a 3-year old)
For the three year old it was a matter of physically reducing God's size to be able to picture him (which even I do not know how big God is except that He is bigger than anything we can dream up) and this was a tangible illustration for me of this verse. How do I reduce God? Is my image of God reducing more than just his size, but his abilities? His ability to provide? Or Hid love? Or His forgiveness? Or His faithfulness? Or His omnipotence? Or His omniscience? I reduce His presence and investment in my life. I minimize how active He is in my life.
Childlike faith is seeing God in the everyday.
"Can you please move?" I asked him.
"God is on the move!" He replied and then asked, "What does that mean?"
I didn't realize how much they retain and can regurgitate. Even more, the phrase so familiar and obvious seemed foreign when I was asked to define it. I wondered if there was theological backing to the catchy modern worship song or if I had just been repeating sweet nothings as I echoed the song on the radio.
Childlike faith is borderline obsession because of our passion.
Mermaids or Minecraft, every child has an obsession. It consumes their life. If they're not playing it, they're wearing it or talking about it. This is the kind of passion that we should have about Christ. Our passion should be invasive in every part of our life and contagious to everyone around us.
Childlike faith is boldly sharing our obsession with everyone.
It doesn't take 20 questions to find out a child's passion. Within a few minutes, they'll find a way to relate your conversation to their obsession. As adults, we find it hard to work Christ into the conversation, but if we find that obsession with Him, it will come naturally into our conversations.
Childlike faith is humble towards the unknown, unafraid to ask question, bold in conviction, and passionate to the point of obsession.
Every job I have ever had has been working with children. My first job was as a Technical Assistant at a GATE summer school. I then became a swim instructor. I tutored. I babysat. I mothered. I nannied. Always children. When I was younger, I did not see my interactions with children as a ministry opportunity, as an important mission, or as a learning opportunity. Now, children have become my passion. They are the next generation and they are the ones who will continue to make disciples one we are gone. When we pray for the unsaved, my first thought is always for children, my children and the children I am in contact with.
Taking time to talk with children about God is the most important work. I often think about Mary and Martha. Jesus praised Mary for taking time out of what needed to be done to do something more important. I'm not saying this means I need to skirt my duties as I care for children to talk about Jesus all the time, but instead I need to be grateful for the opportunities when they ask questions about God and be readily available with answers or a willingness to discover the answer alongside them. Childlike faith has a renewed meaning for me as I look at the way children see the world through their questions, observations, and interactions.
The children were learning one of my favorite lessons: Jesus loves the little children. The head teacher asked, "How often do you hear adults tell you to act more like children?"
For these children, the point of the lesson is that Jesus loves and welcomes them. For me as an adult, I learn constantly, by keeping an open eye and a listening ear, that children can help us learn a lot more than we think. What can a child teach us?
Childlike faith means asking questions.
"Is God as big as *this*" he asked, stretching his arms as wide as they would go.
"He's even bigger," I replied.
We were reading through Isaiah together (which is hard even for me as an adult to understand) and every few words he would stop me and ask what does that mean or what is that word. I would answer and we would return to reading. The chapter that would have took three or four minutes to read straight through instead took almost twenty minutes to read and explain.
I do not know how much more about God he understood from the slow paced reading and constant Q&A, but I know that there was one verse that he really helped me understand.
Childlike faith is boldly finding meaning to that which we think we understand.
"So to whom will you compare me, the Incomparable?
Can you picture me without reducing me?" (Isaiah 46:5, MSG) (MSG because it was the most reader friendly version on my phone for reading with a 3-year old)
For the three year old it was a matter of physically reducing God's size to be able to picture him (which even I do not know how big God is except that He is bigger than anything we can dream up) and this was a tangible illustration for me of this verse. How do I reduce God? Is my image of God reducing more than just his size, but his abilities? His ability to provide? Or Hid love? Or His forgiveness? Or His faithfulness? Or His omnipotence? Or His omniscience? I reduce His presence and investment in my life. I minimize how active He is in my life.
Childlike faith is seeing God in the everyday.
"Can you please move?" I asked him.
"God is on the move!" He replied and then asked, "What does that mean?"
I didn't realize how much they retain and can regurgitate. Even more, the phrase so familiar and obvious seemed foreign when I was asked to define it. I wondered if there was theological backing to the catchy modern worship song or if I had just been repeating sweet nothings as I echoed the song on the radio.
Childlike faith is borderline obsession because of our passion.
Mermaids or Minecraft, every child has an obsession. It consumes their life. If they're not playing it, they're wearing it or talking about it. This is the kind of passion that we should have about Christ. Our passion should be invasive in every part of our life and contagious to everyone around us.
Childlike faith is boldly sharing our obsession with everyone.
It doesn't take 20 questions to find out a child's passion. Within a few minutes, they'll find a way to relate your conversation to their obsession. As adults, we find it hard to work Christ into the conversation, but if we find that obsession with Him, it will come naturally into our conversations.
Childlike faith is humble towards the unknown, unafraid to ask question, bold in conviction, and passionate to the point of obsession.
Every job I have ever had has been working with children. My first job was as a Technical Assistant at a GATE summer school. I then became a swim instructor. I tutored. I babysat. I mothered. I nannied. Always children. When I was younger, I did not see my interactions with children as a ministry opportunity, as an important mission, or as a learning opportunity. Now, children have become my passion. They are the next generation and they are the ones who will continue to make disciples one we are gone. When we pray for the unsaved, my first thought is always for children, my children and the children I am in contact with.
Taking time to talk with children about God is the most important work. I often think about Mary and Martha. Jesus praised Mary for taking time out of what needed to be done to do something more important. I'm not saying this means I need to skirt my duties as I care for children to talk about Jesus all the time, but instead I need to be grateful for the opportunities when they ask questions about God and be readily available with answers or a willingness to discover the answer alongside them. Childlike faith has a renewed meaning for me as I look at the way children see the world through their questions, observations, and interactions.
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