I recently heard an interesting story about an elementary aged girl from a non-Christian home. Her Christian friend had invited her to Sunday school, and she desperately want to go. But there was a problem. Her parents didn’t want her to attend church. Yet that didn’t dampen her desire to go. Early one Sunday morning she got up, dressed before her parents were out of bed, and then knocked on the church family’s door to ask if she could go with them.
To me, stories like this show that God has planted an innate desire to know him in every human heart. When children are born into families that make Christ the center, they naturally learn Christian attitudes and behaviors. However, there is evidence of children sensing God’s presence, even when they haven’t been raised with Christian teaching. The story of this girl’s determination to join her neighbors at church is one example of this yearning for God.
In The Moral Life of Children, Robert Cole records his conversations with children (ages 8-12), over a period of several years. Cole tells the stories of children who grew morally strong, even in difficult situations. For some, their awareness of God influenced their moral decisions. In The Religious Potential of the Child, Sofia Cavalletti finds that some children with no religious training whatsoever expressed a belief in God, as young as three to six years old.
God planned for every human being to come into this world as part of a family and community. He designed families to protect, nurture, and train children to become responsible adults who in turn nurture and train their children. When children are raised in Christian families in Christian communities, they will likely develop Christian values and behaviors. In this setting it is easy to follow the model of Deuteronomy 6:6-7:
Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.
It’s natural for Christian values to be taught during the normal flow of life: driving in the car, at meals, bedtime, and during other everyday activities. In addition to the informal times, for Christian kids there will be formal times of praying, singing, reading and discussing the Bible when they learn the attitudes and practices that will aid in their spiritual growth.
But it’s not only the kids from Christian families who have a natural desire for God. All children, even those being raised outside the church, have a deep-seated longing for their Creator. It’s up to us to reach out to them, introduce them to Christ, and make sure that desire is fulfilled.
Watch for my article next week on training children through the different stages of spiritual growth.
Judy Bryson Pioneer Clubs® President
Judy Bryson is President/CEO of Pioneer Clubs—a church-sponsored midweek ministry for children, ages two through sixth grade. Pioneer Clubs’ three unique programs offer age-specific groupings, large group/small group and small-church ministry formats. Churches are encouraged to select the program that best meets their ministry needs.
