The Test of If You Know Something:
You think you know things…until you go to explain it to a child. Azariah was out in the shop helping me change the brakes on my car a couple of weeks back. In little boy fashion he was straight peppering me with questions. One of his questions pertained to the brake assembly. I went to answer, with misplaced confidence that I knew what I was talking about and I was like, “It does…It is so that…Because if you…It is the thing that makes the car stop.” This was my final answer. Good enough. He wasn’t looking for me to pull out the owners manual with an expanded parts list. The kid wanted to know what it did. It wasn’t until I had to explain to him what the brakes did that I realized if I understood it or not. So…
How do you explain complex concepts to little children? More specifically how do you communicate the Gospel to a toddler?
1. Start Basic.
“The Bible is shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim”
-St. Augustine
The beauty about the Gospel is that it’s infinite in depth and mystery and simple enough for a child to understand. This is encouraging for us fathers because it means that you and I can explain the Gospel in a way that our youngins’ will understand. What are the basics of the Gospel then?
- God
- Man
- Sin
- Jesus
Boom! Start here. Introducing the relationship between God and man is key to understand the problem of sin. Once understanding the problem of sin and the consequences of it then you can talk about the solution in Jesus!
2. Utilize Moments of Discipline.
When you are in the midst of disciplining your child it is a prime opportunity to communicate the Gospel. When I am disciplining Azariah out of love this is how I try to talk with him…
Me- “Hey buddy, what did you do?”
A- “I hit Tirzah because she took my rubber chicken” (BTW, this is a real conversation)
Me- “When we hurt other people because we don’t get what we want, that is sin.”
A- breaks eye contact and buries head in lap, still thinking about the rubber chicken
Me- That is why we need Jesus to give us a new heart. Only he can give us a new heart that will love Him and others.
A- “Okay…” walks away relieved that I’m done, and ready to get the rubber chicken…
It may seem pointless to have these conversations because come on, do they really listen? Yes! They do. Azariah has on a handful of occasions asked Jesus for a new heart. So you get the idea. Moments of discipline are natural bridges into helping your child identify their sin and simultaneously introduce their Savior. We have used the phrase “needing a new heart” because it really gets rid of the confusion of good works. It is so easy to parent from the Law. “Don’t do this”, “You were bad because…”, and the list goes on. Our children’s attitudes, tantrums, and disobedience is a heart issue not a “try harder” issue.
3. Keep Talking About It!
The Bible is rich with imagery that helps illustrate the Gospel. So keep exposing your kids to the Gospel in different terms and ways. Like a diamond that you are turning each day, show them a different facet and come from a little different angle. Be encouraged men. Keep discussing it with your kids at a young age because God wants to speak to our children NOW! Your faithfulness will pay off. They are paying attention to more than what we give them credit for! Press on!
Next week’s topic: “How Praying With Your Wife For Your Kids Will Change The Way You Parent”
