Motivational Monday

Today is the DAY!  What day is it?  VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL STARTS!!  Woohoo!  I cannot begin to tell you HOW much goes into this every year.  So much preparation goes into this and it feels like every single church member plays a part.  Kathy Huggins puts on quite a show and we couldn’t do it without her.  She is the mastermind behind it all!  So of course, this week I want to talk about kids!

Now I know some of you reading this immediately said, “ This doesn’t apply to me because I don’t have little kids.”  Well, actually…that’s not correct.  This isn’t JUST for parents.  It’s your job as a christian to lead any and all to Christ.  This includes children.  Now, let me be clear, it IS the parent’s duty to raise their children in the church but as a congregation we are there to support them.  So as a parent or congregation, how do we lead a child to Christ?  Let’s talk about it.

First, kids are going to make mistakes.  We all do.  But in order for children to put their faith in Jesus, they need to understand some basic truths.  One of these is recognizing their sin.  How can they stop a behavior if they don’t understand it’s wrong?  And it’s on US to teach them.  We can show them this with scripture.  They need to understand they are going to mess up (Romans 3:23).  They need to accept the consequences of their actions (1 John 1:9).  But no matter what, God loves them whether they fail or succeed (Romans 5:8).  And only God has the power to change their heart (Ezekiel 36:26).  You see, WE don’t have to have the answers because it’s all written out for us to follow!  We just need to know where to find it!

Second, kids need to understand the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  I know this seems obvious but because it is so obvious, it sometimes gets skipped.  Sometimes we assume they know this significance.  When you have a child that you showed grace to, this is an opportunity to relate it back to God sending His only Son to forgive our sins (John 3:16).  Jesus taught us how to live and to know His Father.  He died on the cross in our place.  And he defeated sin and death through His resurrection and he lives!

Lastly, it’s important for us to teach children that God is close to them.  Now, don’t creep them out with this statement.  But what I mean here is how important children are to Jesus.  It’s so important to remind kids that they can talk to Jesus any time.  He is literally just a thought away because He never leaves them (Hebrews 13:5).  Jesus came to Earth to die and rise again for us to be closer to God (1 Peter 3:18).

I know some of you read this and thought, “I don’t think my child can comprehend this.”  At the end of the day if you lead them by example then this will naturally fall into place with conversations.  And even if you don’t have kids or small kids in your house, you can still show them Christ in everyday life.  Which, if you think about it…this what we do in Vacation Bible School!

So this week, I would like to encourage everyone to specifically pray about children or just a specific child.  You know and understand the needs around you.  Pray for kids to come to Him.  For them to feel like they can ask questions even if they are hard!  Please pray for us during VBS.  Please pray we can have fun while delivering, encouraging and enlightening young minds to His love.

See you soon and love you all,

Jennifer