Kids and Truth
Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered. Psalm 105:5
When our granddaughter was about two years old she was spending the night with us. She got up early in the morning – before I was ready to face the day. In an effort to prolong my rest, I pulled her into bed with us. Didn’t matter – she was awake.
My husband and I got such a kick out of listening to her talk to herself. She was reminding herself of everything she was learning at the time.
It went something like this, “1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10, red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, my favorite is purple. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP, QRSTUV, WXY and Z, now I know my ABCs – next time won’t you sing with me.” We found it amusing, even if it did keep us awake.
Apparently, this reciting what she had learned had become a habit for Stella. At 4, I was sitting with her at the breakfast table. As I was reading the newspaper she was reminding herself what she had learned about God.
The gist of her conversation with herself was something like this, “Jesus is God and God is Jesus. He loves me, He really loves me. I love Him, He is always there.” It didn’t last long but the impression on me has lasted. She already had a habit of doing something that I try to do, and try to teach others to do, all the time.
She was developing a habit that will serve her well as she grows up. In a sermon I heard a long time ago, the preacher called it “preaching to the heart”. What great truths to have imbedded in her heart when she does have some problem where she will need to remember these truths about God – and Jesus!
Interestingly, we see this in the Bible. When we read the Psalms, we hear David do it repeatedly. In Psalm 63:6 – 10, David was on the run in the wilderness of Judah. He is in distress but look at what he says: “When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.”
Because of David’s experiences with God in the past, he was confident, not only of what God would do for him, but how God would deal with his enemies. David was reassuring his own heart, and teaching those of us who would read his words, to remember God’s faithfulness forever!
Our children are listening to what we teach them. Are we teaching them, at a young age, the truths about God they will need to be able to “preach to their own hearts” in times of trial as they grow up?