God Talk

How do you talk to your kids about God? This was a question that plagued and grieved me early on in my journey as a Mom. I want so desperately for my kids to fully understand the depth of love their Father has for them, and I want them to also fully grasp their role in His Kingdom.

But how do I do that? Perhaps if I just go to church, take them with me, and lead a life generally free from debauchery I can hope that they will somehow eventually assume ownership of the faith through some sort of unspoken transfer of thought.

But then, how do I get past Psalm 78, often quoted by my Great-Grandpa, my Grandma, and my Mom:

Psalm 78

^{(emphasis mine)}

1 O my people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter hidden things, things from of old-

3 what we have heard and known,
what our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.

5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our forefathers
to teach their children,

6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.

7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.

This verse being so precious to so many generations before me stands, I think, as a testament to how important actually talking to your kids about God is. My Mom recalls a childhood filled with God talk, and I can honestly say that I don’t remember ever not talking about God in my home as a child. In fact, I remember being five years old and chatting with God about how much I liked Dr.Pepper and how I hoped to be able to have a lot of it when I got older. Even the small things merited a chat with God.

When Mackenzie was an infant, I would sing over her with scripture. Ian was my “Hymnal Baby”. He would lay in my arms for hours while I thumbed through an old Church of Christ hymnal and sang songs about God’s mercy, grace, salvation, and sovereignty.

I was happy to have songs to use as a tool, but I always wondered just how to introduce God into our daily discussion. I was nervous that I would totally bomb and end up only bringing God into the arena for discipline (i.e. “God doesn’t like lying, cheating, stealing, putting gum in Mommy’s hair…”etc.)

Sitting at my Grandma’s bedside prior to her death and my own failing health gave me the best gift I think any parent can ever hope to receive (I know, sounds crazy, but hang in there). The gift was that I have no (okay, not much) desire for anything this world offers. I am so hopped up with excitement about Heaven that I can hardly contain myself. When Kenzie tells me that it is too cold outside, my natural response is, “I bet it’s not cold in Heaven. How cool is that?” Ian tells me that he has a hole in his shirt and I tell him that I bet he won’t get a hole in his shirt in Heaven, unless of course he actually wants a hole in his shirt, and in that case I bet he winds up with a shirt filled with holes.

Talk like that has led to all kinds of conversations with my kids that I will treasure in my heart forever. A natural extension of talking about Heaven is talking about Jesus and how He made Heaven our reality. We talk about the cross and how it is all at once a story of tragedy and victory. We talk about how important it is to tell our friends about Jesus. (This led one of my neighbors to my door to complain that Kenzie had asked her if she loved Jesus. The neighbor was offended. I have never been more proud.)

So, in a nutshell, what I have learned about teaching the next generation is simply this: Your kids are going to be excited about whatever you are excited about. If you are excited about recycling, your kids will be too. If you are excited about Heaven, your kids will be too. Get excited. Get real excited. And then join me, while we stand and we sing. All this talk has me jonesin’ for some old school Church of Christ singing.

Special thanks to Edmond Church of Christ in Edmond Oklahoma for the lovely congregational singing.