Is Theology for Kids? Andy's Story

I wrote this weeks ago.  I had no idea then that the atmosphere in America would take such an ugly shift.  I considered letting this post wait a week or two for things to settle down but I couldn't. Consider this my quiet statement in the storm of shouts: "We are ALL made in the image of God Almighty." 


Is theology for kids?  Isn't it a dusty subject more suitable for seminaries and Bible colleges?  It's not for Sunday School or my kid at bedtime, or is it?  As an answer I'd like to tell you a story about Andy. 

This is Andy.

 

Bearing With One Another

Devotional 8 focuses on bearing with one another.  This devotional, like the others, is timed for less than 10 minutes, but feel free to slow down if your kids are older or have a longer attention span.  Parents your notes are in italics.  Happy studying!

Bearing with one another

To Do:  Like last week if the children have fully memorized their work ask them if they'd like to share it with someone.  It could be a family member, aunt, uncle, grandparents.  You could use the phone or Skype.  Or locally a favorite grandparent figure at church, a Sunday School teacher or your minister might be someone they'd like to share with.  Don't forget to start this week's devotional by re-reading the verses Colossians 3:12-14.

Questions to Ask:

What does it mean to "bear with" someone?  Don't be surprised if they don't know!  "Bearing with" someone simply means to put up with someone, to be patient, to be tolerant with them.

If "Bearing with one another" means be patient, why does Paul tells us the same thing twice?  Answers might include: It's really hard.  It's really important.  And that they have slightly different meanings (one is the idea of being patient in general and the other is being patient with someone who is different, difficult or annoying).

Who do you have to work hard to bear with?  Help kids focus on behavior or people who are hard to deal with but not necessarily sinning against them.  

What do you do that others have to bear with? This is a great time to help kids see that they can be annoying to their parents or siblings!

Who did Jesus bear with? 

Think of a situation where someone was doing something annoying.  What did you do?  What could you have done? What would be "bearing with" them?  Answers might be something like: "I hate it when my brother hums, especially first thing in the morning.  He's such a morning person.  I think that's annoying.  Often I shout at him to shut up.  Instead I could ignore it.  Bearing with him would be to either make my feelings known in a nice way or just not worry about it!"

Insights: 

In a family there are innumerable ways that people can rub each other the wrong way without actually doing anything wrong.  Add kids into the mix and the ways double.  Humming, tapping, and chewing; leaving underwear on the floor,  leaving the butter out, leaving shoes in the doorway; the way the toothpaste is squeezed, the time to leave for church, the best way to do...anything!  

Have you ever considered the spiritual aspects of dealing with these simple but annoying issues? 

When God places us in a family, He is giving us the opportunity to grow.  To put others first.  To demonstrate patience.  To learn to love others.  In other words He is offering us the chance to be like Him.  Like a rock being tumbled in a stream, the small annoyances and little problems are knocking off our rough edges and allowing us to shine in humility for the Lord. 



Did you miss one? 


The "Why" Matters, Identity Matters, Compassion Matters, Kindness Matters, Humility Matters, Gentleness Matters, Patience Matters, Bearing with One Another Matters, Forgiveness Matters

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Kindness Matters

Devotional 4 focuses on one of the most difficult commands to fully apply in the Bible: Be Kind.  This devotional, like the others, is timed for less than 10 minutes, but feel free to slow down if your kids are older or have a longer attention span.  Parents your notes are in italics.  Happy studying!

Kindness Matters 

To Do:

Read Colossians 3:1-4.  Say the verses aloud once or twice. If you've been doing these steadily, you should be getting close to being able to say the verses with some prompting. Then read Colossians 3:12-14.

Questions to Ask: 

*What does it mean to be kind? The answer that will come to a kid's minds is to be nice.  Try to help them dig a little deeper and see that we can be kind even when we are not "nice."  For instance a parent can privately and gently correct a behavior; this is kind although no child finds it "nice."

*Why do you think Paul asked us to "put on a heart of kindness?" Doesn't kindness come naturally? Here my children and I thought of people who seemed to be naturally kind.  Then we talked about the fact that the Spirit of God produces kindness in our lives (Galatians 2:22-24). Even if it is not our "personality" or our "nature", if we are walking in the Spirit we wille learn to be kind!

*Think of a time when someone was kind to you.  What did they do?  Is kindness the same in every situation? One way to work through this question is to explore how kindness is expressed across age groups.  (We are kind to babies when we play instead of ignore them; we are kind to busy young parents when we sit with them and help them at church; we are kind to older people when we visit them and ask about their lives.)

*How does the golden rule help us know how to be kind? (Matthew 7:12, Luke 6:31)  Be sure and begin by reading the golden rule from both passages. Work together to understand way we usual say it vs. how Jesus worded it.  Allow the kids to brainstorm how considering someone else's perspective or desires allows us to be kind to them.  Think up some silly examples of people trying to be kind but failing: for example a 70 year old who gives his 10 year old grandson Icy Hot for Christmas. Then transition into the fact that we ALL want people to be kind to us.  Fulfilling the golden rule requires us to be kind all the time.  

Insights: 

When I was doing this devotional with my kids and got to question 3, they could immediately think of several people who were naturally kind: friends who are generous, sensitive, and thoughtful, who never snap or snarl.  Do you know that kind of person too?  

I realize that our view of those people from the outside (even family members we know intimately) may not match their "insides."  In other words, they probably have their unkind moments.  Yet for me, kindness is an on-purpose kind of virtue.  In order to be kind, I need to carefully think through what would be helpful, gentle and sweet and then do it.  

And that's ok!  

If our motive, or our children's motive is to love others, to treat them well, and to please God, it is perfectly acceptable for it not to be "natural."  We know that virtues like patience or perseverance require practice and discipline to develop.   But kindness can be learned too!

So how do we teach kindness to our children?  

1. We should point out kindnesses they can do right now: ending cards, doing chores unasked, visiting a sick friend, sharing their toys with a visitor, telling someone they did a good job, not bragging, or giving way to a tired or cranky sibling. 

2. We can help them reason through what they would want to happen in a given situation.  For instance, "If you broke your arm, what would you wish your friends would do?"  

3. We can enable their kindness.  A dollar or two will buy cards and stamps.  Half an hour will let them visit a sick friend.  Many simple kindnesses are beyond the resources of small children!

Did you miss one? 


The "Why" Matters, Identity Matters, Compassion Matters, Kindness Matters, Humility Matters, Gentleness Matters, Patience Matters, Bearing with One Another Matters, Forgiveness Matters

Honoring our Parents

One of the first verses I had my children memorize was Ephesians 6:1: Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  I liked having a verse that specifically applied to children, and if they obeyed the verse, it helped me out!  However, the mandate to honor and obey parents is not limited to people under 18.  In the lists of sinful activities in Romans 1 and 2 Timothy 3 have "disobedient to parents" among such sins as murder and malicious gossip. Serious stuff.  How can we as adult children make sure that we are not falling into sin as regards the people who raised us? Once again, we must turn to the example of Jesus.  As an adult, he showed us how to respect our parents by the way he treated his own mother.