Don't Underestimate!

Why is it every time we talk to our children about spiritual things we immediately think they will never understand what we just said? I am specifically talking about our younger children. We assume a lot about our children that simply isn't true. I think this is do to the fact that we underestimate what the Holy Spirit can teach them and quite frankly, we don't give our kiddos enough credit. For example, why do we think that when we go to church our children should go to some other place to worship called Children's Church? Who's bright idea was this? At this point we need to be honest with ourselves and realize that when you put 20 plus kids in a room with a couple of adults, it doesn't take long to see those adults have no chance and the children are the ones missing out. They miss out on hearing the Word because they are to involved with the other children around them. They miss out on being with their parents and learning how to worship. So why do we try to justify "children's church" by saying things like, "in children's church the lessons are more age appropriate." Again we are not giving them enough credit and, if I'm being honest, it is easier as a parent to abdicate our God given role as disciple maker to someone else.

There in lies our problem! We assume that our children could learn better from someone else. We assume a paid children's minister or pastor or youth minister knows better than us when it come to disciplining our children when the truth is no one knows your children better than you. We also underestimate how powerful it is to have our children with us. You see, Christ did not give us these blessing, in case you didn't know that's our children, to have someone else receive the joy of teaching them the truths of God's Word. He gave that joy and responsibility to you and to me. The family was God's initial tool of evangelism. God gave you and me the opportunity to let our children see Christ in us. Therefore, opening the door for God to save them through His Son, Jesus.

Which leads me to one final point. Don't underestimate the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can take the hardest most difficult concepts and bring them into the world of a child so that they can understand. The Holy Spirit has the ability to open the eyes of a child so that they can even know things better than us. But we as their parents have to put them in places that will give the Holy Spirit a chance to work. So if we as a family are not in worship together, how are we going to grow together. If we as a family are not involved in worship at home, how are we going to have those time when we learn sound teaching and instruction from God's Word together. How are we going to be able to teach to our children how an adult is to act in a corporate worship setting if we are not teaching it at home. How are we going to give the Holy Spirit a chance to call our children if we are not planting the Word in their hearts. All these things are a part of training up a child in the way they should go.

If you truly want to change your family tree, don't underestimate the power you have to bring little ones to Jesus. You can't do the saving but you sure can bring them to the throne! And you can stop underestimating what the Spirit can do.

The greatest privilege we have as parents is to see our children come to saving knowledge of Jesus the Christ. It is our responsibility to serve them Jesus.

Don't be afraid to change your family tree!

Paul Kersh
Family Tree Ministries