Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6)
Children often ask very simple yet profound questions about God. Each question is a precious opportunity for teaching children about God. This article shares how parents can turn everyday moments into lessons of faith. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
One day our family went for an afternoon walk along our usual route. We walked down the street, past a few shops, across the road and past a local university. On the way back, we passed a large cemetery near our neighborhood, where two men were preparing a grave. As we walked by, our five-year-old asked one of those questions that put parents on the spot: “Dad, what are they doing?”
What should I do? Was he too young to hear the truth? Or could I just ignore it and distract him with the sunset or a passing car? But I decided my curious little boy deserved an answer.
The Gospel at the Cemetery
I stopped, sat on the low wall, pulled him in front of me and did my best to explain: “Sweetheart, when people come to the end of their lives, they die. When someone dies, people put their body in a box, dig a hole in the ground and put the box down there.”
My son replied, “Do we get to wear clothes in the box, Dad?”
I answered, “Well, they do put clothes on the person when they put them in the box… Did you know that Jesus died? They laid His body in a tomb, but three days later He came out, because God raised Jesus back to life. If we believe in Jesus, we will be with Him when we die. And one day, when Jesus comes back, our bodies will come out of holes like that, brand new, and we will live with Jesus forever and never die again.”
“I hope I still get to wear clothes. And I’ll keep my eyes open in the box.”
“Okay, buddy.”
Modeling Honesty
Clearly, my son was completely absorbed in the whole dying-and-burial thing. But I was trying to set an example for him. When he comes to me with an honest question, I will answer honestly. He may not understand everything I say, and I may give clumsy answers, but one thing is certain: I will not ignore his serious questions.
My hope is that the pattern of communication my wife and I are setting with our children will keep equipping us as parents. With God’s help, every question we choose not to dodge gives us more wisdom for the next. If I raise my child on lies now, thinking, “He’s too young to know the truth,” I am not only hindering his growth in wisdom but also my own. Children may be too young for some details, but there are ways to answer their specific questions lovingly and truthfully. If I can’t tell my five-year-old the truth, what makes me think I can when he is fifteen?
These years, when the children are small and the questions less serious, are training for later. Now we are learning to answer basic questions like “Is Santa real?” or “How big is God?” But one day the question may be “My best friend just told me he’s gay; what should I do?” or “Why would a good God let them die like that?” As we step out now, while the children are young, we trust God to teach us and help us answer harder questions later.
Young children will satisfy their curiosity one way or another. If we don’t tell them the truth, they will look for it somewhere else. Establishing a pattern of open communication early can save you headaches later. No parent wants to see their child searching online, asking friends or worse places for answers because they don’t trust us to answer well.
Above all, it is important that we treat children with their God-given dignity. They are little people made in the image of God. They deserve to know the truth.
Seize Every Conversation
My son’s question, which caught me off guard at first, turned out to be a wonderful door for the gospel. That afternoon at the cemetery, I could have hurried the family past and avoided the topic with a vague answer like, “They’re just digging a hole.” But when your child really wants to know about the cemetery, is it for their good that you avoid the subject of death?
God clearly pictured conversations like this when He told us, “And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:7). At the breakfast table, on summer walks and at bedtime, children ask so many questions out of curiosity about the world around them. These are good times to teach them about God and His gospel.
Be ready. Many of children’s hard and embarrassing questions can become wonderful opportunities to talk about the good news of Jesus. Seize these conversations. Sit down and talk honestly and intentionally with your children. Do you sometimes ramble, make awkward transitions or not make sense at all? Of course. But they are little; they don’t know any better. Your children may be older; they will still appreciate your honesty, and God will help you grow over time. It is never too late to tell the truth.
The Truth Our Children Need
If you have a habit of dodging your children’s hard questions, you may need to ask their forgiveness. Children become exasperated when Mom and Dad fail to model truth-telling in their lives. Paul tells us, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
As we grow in faithfulness, guiding our children in truth, we trust the Spirit to give us wisdom to point them to Christ Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).
Teaching Your Children About God Every Day
Deuteronomy 6:7 teaches parents to talk about God’s Word “when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Teaching children about God does not only happen during Bible lessons, but at every meal, on every trip and in every bedtime story.
Don’t worry if you don’t have an answer to every question. Honestly say, “I don’t know yet; let’s look in the Bible together.” That teaches your child that God’s Word is where we find truth.
You may also like: 10 Tips for Christian Parents and How to Help Youth Keep Serving God as Adults.
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the children You have given us. Give us wisdom to teach them about You through our words and lives, and plant true faith in their hearts from an early age. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Translation Team – Communications Ministry, Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church
Adapted from: DesiringGod.org
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