Speaking of Jesus to Our Children
Christmas is approaching! In this beautiful account, Cecilia shares her hope that by speaking of Jesus to her children throughout the year, even if it is in bits and pieces, they will be able to appreciate the true significance of Christmas and know who to turn to when the world fails them.
Nights are a precious time for my family household of six. The homework’s done, the day’s almost over, tantrums and tempers have mellowed and the mobile phones have stopped buzzing. I can sense the children’s reluctance to turn in for the night while dragging their feet to bed and brushing their teeth very slowly. Even as they lay in the dark, their minds are now wide awake, alert and open to suggestions.
If my husband and I are not too frazzled/stressed/annoyed/exhausted, one of us usually attempts to draw their attention closer to God. He reads a chapter or two from the Bible, a story that they’ve heard before about one of the kings in the Old Testament. One who was wise and ended up not. Or one who had a wicked and ungodly father and yet turned towards God. The brothers who were jealous and took action. The queen who put her life and crown on the line. The children are attentive, bursting with questions and guessing at the wisdom behind the story—and it often all leads them back to God. The wonderful blessings in life; the sad and painful trials and anything in between—they begin to see a pattern, a way of making sense of life and the world through the lens of a relationship with God who is the source of all life, all wisdom and goodness. We welcome the questions as they come and find that the retention and acceptance is very high. And the most wonderful thing of all is that we get to understand their individual minds and hearts as their questions pour forth. Each different struggle to understand a story reflects a universal human effort to comprehend the meaning of life—Why did David sin even though He loved God? Was Saul saved in the end? Was Solomon wise and then not wise and why? How did Joseph not despair when he was suffering?
Sometimes, if we are all too tired, singing hymns in the dark proves fruitful too. A few reluctant voices sometimes crescendo and I let my voice fade to enjoy their youthful and heartfelt singing to God. I notice surprising preferences for songs that I thought were too profound or abstract for them—and a lack of enthusiasm for songs that have explicit lyrics that I had shortlisted as suitable. Mummy is not always right.
At other times, the silence in the dark before they sleep is an awkward and sullen affair—I have been too angry/impatient/harsh and they are subdued and sad. Sometimes, there are apologies, tears and prayers. Sometimes not. Mummy and Daddy are sinners in need of salvation and grace.
And that’s almost an entire year’s of trying, failing and best efforts. By the time school’s out and Christmas beckons, we’ve thrown routine out of the window. And what’s not to love about Christmas? The lights, the music, the mood, the toffee nut lattes, the food, the feels. There is a general sense of joy however man-made, however pretentious, however superficial.
But there will come a time when even the brightest and most glittery lights, tallest and grandest Christmas trees, and sweetest treats can’t push down the tight feeling in your throat that you want to suppress. A knowing. This too is meaningless. A repetition of activities every twelve months that does nothing for the tears welling in your eyes, the knowledge that some problems will never go away, some disappointments never to be resolved and some wrongs that will never right itself.
What then?
I think that in a way, this is very similar to living life trying to follow God. There is a lot that the world offers to our children—popularity, achievements, material things, a sense of well-being or love. Like us, they can be distracted and drawn away. Just like faith takes time to grow, truth takes time to learn and love for God takes time to deepen. These things cannot be achieved overnight. While they are still physically by our sides and have their hearts and minds open to us, it is a most opportune time to plant these seeds.
The time will come, when these things that the world offers will run out or fail them. And if God is willing, my hope is that they know where to turn back to. In the little bit of sharing God with them throughout the year; at their peaks and troughs of their young lives, God’s presence comforts them, encourages them and cautions them. By the time December rolls around and entices them with the world’s version of Christmas, hopefully, with God’s grace, they will be able to appreciate the true significance of why we celebrate this day.
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This is the final part of our three-part series on Speaking of Jesus to Our...
In the first part, Fellisia writes on our ministry with Gladiolus Place and our desire to share the hope we have in Christ with the girls staying just next door.
In the second part, Dinnie shares her struggle with evangelism and how, despite that, God continues to use her as a tool to point her fellow workers-turned-friends to Christ.