Feeding the children

“Then what happened, Mommy?”

What a joy it was the other day to hear my daughter recall the excitement demonstrated by her children as she read the story of Jesus as related in the precious gospel of John.

My grandchildren are only three and six, but they are blessed with godly parents whose loving care includes “feeding” them from the Scriptures on a daily basis. On this occasion, mother shared the story of Christ’s trial and torture.

It was a brief struggle for me to come to grips with the idea of sharing that cruel story with children, but I quickly realized – Christ’s death at the hands of man is a critical part of understanding Who He is. We all love the story of the babe in the manger, but it is Christ’s death and resurrection that distinguish Him as God’s precious Son … our Redeemer King.

Even a child can understand the significance of the news that “…God so loved the world, He gave His only Son…” Christ’s love of children has inspired many artists. Most have heard the familiar Scripture: “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

It is clearly a mistake to respond to Satan's lie that we should “protect” our children from the truth Jesus must have shared with little ones each time they sat at His feet. God calls us to use discernment in our roles as parents and mentors, but He is also entirely capable of blessing our children with wisdom beyond their years.

So it is I commend those, like my daughter and son-in-law, who act in obedience to the Father, delivering the lavish gifts of His word and responding after study and prayer to the questions that arise from their children as they “digest” the word together.

“What happened then, Mommy?”

“Well, let me share with you the good news, my child!”