Instilling Spirituality

Through what channels is the beauty of God's character revealed to the world and the possibility to know God as a Loving and Caring Father? Through nature and His creation, through the Bible, which is God's Word, through His law, which expresses God's combination of mercy and justice, through the life and death of our Savior Jesus Christ and through the consistent life of people believing in God. All these channels are chosen by God to carry through them to the world the message about the unshakeable beauty of God's character and reveal to all creation unconditional God's love and care.

All these means are good for every reasonable person so that through them they can know their Creator and discover for themselves the constancy of God's love, the power of God's Word and see that wonderful manifestation of God's providence that God grants to those who thirst and seek Him.

A small child is not an exception from whom it's necessary to hide the beauty of God's environment. An infant is also receptive to everything with which the Lord in His care has surrounded us. They are capable of perceiving the language of God's love and knowing their Creator through contact with nature and love of their parents.

Until a certain age, believing parents are direct representatives of God to children.

Fresh air, sunlight, majesty of trees, beautiful landscapes, bird singing, diversity of flowers and colors—all this is perceived by children's mind as beautiful living environment, and infant's feelings intertwine with primordial beauty and harmony of nature, and they subconsciously know the Creator's greatness and come into contact with God's love in pure form. Nature speaks to the heart and feelings of each of us, and it communicates just as well with small representatives of humanity. It is written in Job 12:7-10: "But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind?"

God knows how to communicate with children through nature. Through such contact with sense organs, an infant receives first lessons of knowing God and how good it is with Him. Countryside in this case is an ideal place for correct instilling of spirituality.

Also huge influence on child's feelings is exerted not only by contemplation but also by contact with nature. Grass and earth were created to be walked on, clean air to be breathed, sources of living water to be washed in and drunk from, flowers to gladden with their beauty and smell, animal world to amaze with its diversity and uniqueness. The book of nature contains so many amazing discoveries for those who begin to know it through personal contact that no artificial things and reproductions can ever replace this. And behind all this science of nature stands the wise Creator who knows how to connect human heart with His through His creation.

In every child is placed the instinct of faith that helps know this world and its rules without doubt and criticism. And when awakening of mind occurs in the child, then all words come alive and produce certain images and scenes in little person's thinking. This faith helps young mind know surrounding world, culture and customs, but it doesn't give salvation. It's always important for parents to remember the fact that true "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Not innate instinct, but knowledge of God's promises and instructions makes a child a believing person. Faith spoken of here takes its beginning from promises of God's Word, asks for what is already promised by Him, and patiently waits for when this will be fulfilled in believer's life.

Children are very practical in testing promises. If they are taught that God answers all prayers, then they immediately begin to ask for what they want and what they consider necessary. And such instruction brings harm and destroys children's faith.

Children believe everyone and everything, especially their loving parents. And father and mother's task includes teaching these young creatures what is true faith, and what is naivety and simplicity of child's soul, which are beautiful in their purity, but which are insufficient to rely on God with firm confidence.

Children perfectly hear conversations of father with mother and what they say about God, how they pray and what they ask for. Children see parents' joy from answered prayers and rejoice together with adults, sometimes not understanding the true reason. They willingly accept what is established in their family. If it's not customary in your family to have conversations about God's mercy and love, and Jesus's miracles, then any story about this Person will be something unusual for them, since He is rarely contemplated in their house.

You won't give children what you don't possess yourself, and theory of faith may reveal something to young consciousness, but the child won't know what to do with this.

Instilling spirituality doesn't happen according to certain schedule when time comes for this and children must leave everything and attentively listen to your instructions. This is accomplished throughout the day when your faith in God lives and your household constantly hears from you words of gratitude to God, brief requests for wisdom, your blessings. When your heart is filled with gratitude to the Savior, then your lips speak very clearly about this. And when you begin to tell children about the One with whom you have fellowship throughout all time, then they too want to get closer to such invisible Family Member and learn to trust Him with all their small and big cares.

It's also important to explain to children that there are conditional and unconditional promises, that the Lord answers different prayers differently, and in some cases He doesn't answer at all, that there is human will whose choice is respected, and that God needs time for fulfillment of some requests.

God loves children and answers their sincere requests, sometimes even to parents' surprise. And such relationships strengthen children's trust in Creator and encourage them to ask for more.

And if we understand, then we are exactly the same children in God's eyes, and everything we experience in our steps of faith is accessible and understandable to small children. But they don't need to be proven Creator's existence. They believe this without doubt. But they don't know requirements of the Ruler of worlds, and they need to be instructed in this, and in such way that they later instruct their children and grandchildren in all truth.

Stories about Jesus, examples of His trust in Father, Savior's reaction to certain temptations serve children as powerful visual example for imitation. We don't know how children's mind perceives this information, but Holy Spirit can draw bright pictures in children's imagination and present all your stories in colorful tones corresponding to reality. Although children like pictures, their imagination is also sufficiently developed for them to understand many spiritual things in correct light.

God could have left us a film about Himself, but He left written Word, and it works.

1. Please read Deut. 6:4-9; 11:18-22; Prov. 22:6; Rom. 10:13-15; Hab. 2:4; Heb. 10:35-39; James 2:19-20; Prov. 6:20-23 in light of this chapter.

2. What other verses from the Bible came to your mind?

3. What did you understand from this chapter?

4. Why is it so important to instill knowledge about God from the very first days of life?

5. How to instill in a child faith that moves God's hand?

6. Can parents, without extra instructions, help a child become a believing person?

7. Do you think children observe how and what their parents believe in?

8. Does nature have beneficial influence on development of children's faith?

9. Can nature and animal world tell children about God more than the Bible does?

10. Why is it so important from very young age to instruct children in obedience to God's law?

11. Will a child's faith grow from hearing God's Word?

12. Should parents count on the church to handle spiritual upbringing of their children?

13. What to do if children don't want to believe in anything and listen to nothing about God?

14. Do you think children believe God's promises?