Note from Tom: At each Tuesday’s church staff meeting, a different staff member brings the devotional. I asked Denise Garza to send me the notes she prepared for her devotional. This is a good word for parents, grandparents, and all those who work with preschoolers and children in our church!
Tending the Gardens of Childlike Faith
By Denise Garza
“He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:2-5).
I love teaching preschool, but it wears me out and I have quit several times. After I quit, I follow it up by sheepishly asking to come back because I realize that I’m addicted to the preschool life!
Children have an incredible capacity for fresh faith and teach us that learning about God can actually be FUN and lighthearted!
This past Sunday as we learned about Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison. This is what was presented:
getting arrested for talking about Jesus
being in chains
friends thinking mere words can break chains
an angel showing up and “striking” Peter to awaken him
chains falling off with the guards right there asleep
vision-questing until Peter realizes the escape is real
Rhoda – hearing a voice that cannot be true…
We made prayer chains with personal prayers written on each one even though the chains in the story were ones that needed to be broken.
The children heard all of this, did not doubt, they believed and acted – no questions asked.
Did you get that? NO ONE challenged us with, “Wait – WHAT??? An ANGEL???” or “They broke out of prison - HOW?” or “What did the angel look like? How did he know it was really an angel?”
This whole account takes faith to absorb – and yes, children might have questions, but they still have the open mind and heart to take in the story “fresh” just as presented.
Years ago, when I was trying to build a business, I was often told that, when it came to business risk-taking, you had to be “too dumb to doubt.” How blessed it would be if like children we were “too dumb to doubt” God’s existence, love, and plan for us.
Children are not dumb, but we adults are often labeled “dumb” when we have the faith to accept accounts like Peter’s escape and also pray and hope for seemingly impossible things in our own lives. How blessed it would be if all adults could not only have childlike faith, but also foster children’s faith to keep growing with them!
I think about the parable of the Sower and the Seed and how it relates to my preschoolers. The seeds we plant in class each week fall on ALL of these soils at once within each child.
It falls on the hard path – if we don’t teach the lesson on their level it will never reach them
It falls on rocky ground – when they have pent up energy, or want snack or toys or if they get distracted, lessons will slip away as soon as presented.
It falls among thorns – when we parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, mentors, teachers don’t follow up with what our children are learning in Sunday School, the seed gets choked out by neglect
It falls on good soil - Luckily God starts off all our children with hearts and minds full of “good soil” ready to accept anything and grow what is consistently planted!
Depending on what we plant, children will believe in God, unicorns, Santa Claus, love, bigotry, gender identity, patience, kindness or whatever we choose to plant consistently into their precious minds. And the seeds that are planted when they are young take deepest root.
Orange Peel Mind
When my daughter was very young she asked why she could not see a movie that was not “A-PO-PRI-ATE.”
I said her mind was too young to scar with ideas that were not appropriate.
I explained that young minds are like fresh orange peels. If you take a toothpick and make a scratch on a fresh peel it is DEEP and it STAYS. Even when that peel ages, gets old and dry later that first mark is still there.
I went on to say that as we get older our minds mature and get a little tougher like a dry orange peel– and pretty soon a scratch like that doesn’t make or leave such a lasting mark.
She was not happy about my movie decision, but we did get to play with orange peels so she could hopefully see what I meant.
I wish I could say that I have always been a good steward to ensure that only Godly things are planted in my daughter’s life.
Parenthood is a road of imperfection and many times I fail to let God drive.
But as we get ready to begin a new school year, this is a great time to renew commitments to foster childlike faith. All of us who interact with children need to ensure we help tend the gardens of their hearts & minds daily…
… so that the good tender soil God has given our little ones does not dry up in frustration, hate, or bitterness…
… so that the good seed does not get over-taken by the weeds of media, social media and negative news reports…
… and so that the good seed does not get buried under the rocky soil of modern apathy, hopelessness, and disbelief.
I sure need to make this recommitment. Please join me so we can help foster the growth of God’s good things in the good soil of our children’s hearts and minds!