Jennifer Sweeney was blessed to grow up in a Christian home and come to know the Lord at the age of 12. This relationship with the Lord has been a continuing influence throughout her high school and college years, and has remained a critical part of her life since coming to Living Hope nearly 10 years ago. In those years at Living Hope she has been involved in ABF, preschool ministry and small group leadership, and has been blessed by the growth and fellowship experienced by her involvement in those ministries here at Living Hope.
Each Sunday I am struck and often entertained by our preschoolers in their matter-of-fact outlook. To each of them the stories that they learn on Sunday are just that . . . a matter of fact. The aspects and attributes that we teach them about God are . . . a matter of fact. And the forgiveness that God offers to them is . . . a matter of fact.
I recall on several occasions overhearing our preschoolers discussing the details of what they learned that day, and these discussions always bring a smile to my face. Just a few weeks ago it was a discussion about Joseph. Of course in December, with the Christmas season, we were learning of Jesus’ birth. On the surface it seems easy enough, but the complexity arises when there is a Heavenly father and an earthly father, enter Joseph. As the boys were discussing about Gabriel talking to Mary and then later to Joseph, one of the boys made the comment that it was good that the angel let Jesus’ dad know what was going on. This of course sparked the other preschooler to make sure we were aware that Joseph was Jesus’ earthly father because God was Jesus’ “real dad”. It made me smile to hear their “fresh” outlook on this story from God’s word, but it’s not to be overlooked the spirit in which they discussed it. To each of these little boys there was no question. To them every aspect was truth.
Through our preschoolers I am always refreshed by their matter-of-fact belief. Some call it “childlike faith” but it all boils down to them believing these truths as fact without question. To them the stories of the Bible are fact. They believe Jonah was in the belly of the whale, that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in the fiery furnace, and that Jesus was born in a stable with farm animals surrounding him and Mary and Joseph. These are not up for discussion; they are black and white with no gray.
Somehow along the way as we become adults gray sometimes enters our minds and our views. We all get busy and life becomes much more complex than it was as a child, and somehow the stories of the Bible can often lose their marvel in our hearts and minds. How recently have you sat and thought about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fact that those three men stepped into an unbearably hot fiery furnace and survived? Can you imagine yourself there? When was the last time you thought about Jonah being thrown off of a boat and ending up inside a whale? Not one person in history has endured the belly of a whale since, but that doesn’t mean God ceases to do amazing works and that the story of Jonah didn’t really happen.
Our preschoolers in all their vibrant energy know for certain that God is real and that He did the amazing work in the stories we teach them. Several times in scripture God calls us to be child-like, and Jason touched on this today in his sermon. God calls us to emulate children in our faith and our humility. He encourages us to approach Him and “receive the kingdom” as a child would. As simplistic and uncomplicated as the life of a child is, to take on that spirit of a child in relation to God and our relationship with Him is a very tall order. To soak up all that God has to offer in our relationship with Him and with others and to do it in the manner that a child would is not easy, but God does provide and equip us. May we allow God to work in our lives to make us more child-like. May we believe “matter-of-factly that Jesus was God’s Son, that He came as a baby, living a sinless life so He could die in our place . . . but even more may we share such a “matter of fact” with others so they may come to know Him too.
5 comments:
Hi Jennifer. I like your blog. Your comments and experience with children remind me of Psalms 8:2. I don't know if this were said in yesterday's sermon (I was out sick); however I'd like to share it.
"Out of the mouth of children and infants you have ordainded praise.(NIV)" Certainly, children have perfected the ability to praise God.
Jennifer - great job! Thanks for sharing - for reminding me to simply BELIEVE! How can I forget that the God that watched over Jonah is the same one I pray to today??? It seems we forget God is still the same powerful, wonderful God to us now in 2009 as those thousands of years ago. Your words hit me today - how can I treat Him so small? Thanks for your thoughts.
Jennifer, your blog was so good and so true. Tonight I was reading a bible story to my oldest son before bed. We began talking about how Jesus died for our sins so that we could be with Him forever and not be punished. His inquisitive nature prompted him to ask, "do we get to take all our stuff too?" and I replied that we don't need any of the stuff we have here because Jesus has promised that he has prepared a wonderful big home for us with him that is beautiful and fun. He lept to his feet with eyes sparkling, so excited...and I felt so happy and excited too...so thankful for what our sweet Lord and Savior has done for us and that we get to be with him forever! I realized that so often those of us who've been Christians for a long time sometimes forget the "matter-of fact"ness about it all and therefore lose our childlike and contagious enthusiasm...that we get to go and that we would try to share such Good News with others so that they could come too.
It's awesome how God uses children to remind us of the things He's taught us. Children have a way of asking questions or telling what they've learned so that we HEAR it and process it . . .
Sometimes the sweetest lessons and most precious moments are those where children are teaching us as adults.
All this conversation about children makes me feel younger at heart. Imagine how wonderful it may sound to our Father in Heaven who created us for His good pleasure and enjoyment when we talk and He listens to His children's conversations about His good works.
Post a Comment