This morning after church a woman approached me and recounted a conversation she had just had with my 5 year old. I appreciate her willingness to tell me the details of their talk.
Following the children's hour she had asked my son a few questions about the lessons they had learned.
My son proceeded to tell her that they talked about the Good Samaritan.
"Oh," she continued, "and what did you learn from that story?"
"That we should help others," was my son's reply.
"And how can you help others," she carefully pressed.
"Well, I don't have any sick people in my neighbourhood," my boy noted. (Isn't this interestingly related to the lawyer's question that initiated this parable from Christ: "and who is my neighbour?" My boy, like the lawyer, was not seeing the needy people in his life... much like the pharisees and self-righteous people of Christ's audience).
So the woman, concerned that my son understand the biblical application of the lesson, probed a little further, "How about your brother? What if he fell or something? Could you help him?"
To which my son responded, "Oh, he can get up himself."
He can get up himself??? Clearly, my son was not registering that he could be like the Samaritan and LOOK for needy people to help.
"Hmm," I thought when she finished telling me about their dialogue. "I guess we'll have to review this lesson some more this week."
I am so thankful that this woman stopped to talk to my son. This shows that she truly cares about him and about his spiritual growth. It challenges me to interact with the children of our church in a more meaningful way. I was glad that I knew where my first lesson would be during bible time tomorrow.
Later in the afternoon, my husband, not knowing of my conversation with this woman, also talked to my son about the Sunday School hour. This time my son explained how the lesson was about loving others and continued to explain how he could do this.
"Like, I could help my brother if he got hurt when he fell down," were his exact words.
"He got it! He learned the lesson!" I thought, excitedly.
However, it wasn't in the classroom that he had learned the point (though the seeds were planted there). Thanks to this woman's sensitive questions and intuitive leading towards applying biblical truth (coupled with the Holy Spirit's guiding), my son did grasp the lesson being taught today.
Let this be a challenge to all of us to STOP and TALK to the children around us. We just may be God's instrument to help them figure out the things of God. And who knows? Maybe that's our way of being a "good samaritan."
8 comments:
Beautiful!
Thanks for sharing that! It reminds us that before we can effectively "talk" with kids, we need to carefully "listen" to them. Imparting information is not the same as reaching the heart. There were two hearts prepared; your son's and this woman's. No, there were four, your husbands and yours as well. Well, maybe there were at least five, because I am listening and applying this thought in anticipation of preparing my lesson for my Sunday School class next week.
We are often to satisfied to have "talked" but what we really need to do is listen and respond as Christ enables, isn't it?
What an encouraging story!
You know what I have found really interesting? The reaction I get when I go and tell a parent something good about his child. There is a young boy in my S.S. class named Alex. He is so attentive, and his answers reveal a real tendency toward deep thought. I stopped his father to tell him that, and he was so surprised and thankful that I mentioned it. As a parent I like to hear stuff like that, and as a teacher, I like to know that I can encourage.
What a great story Marlene! My heart is glad that our church family cares about our kids! I am always thinking about how I can "write God's word" on my Hayden's heart and plant the seeds of knowledge within her. As we talk and walk together as a body she will begin to understand. As she experiences life and has the knowledge and understanding at work within her, she will have the capacity to reflect, apply, discern and grow in wisdom. I pray that our children will have a faith that is greater than our own, a walk that is so close to Jesus they will be able to "see the lines in His face", as Donald Miller says. What an amazing JOY to raise children of the King!
Marlene,
Is that a picture of someone you know or is it one from the web?
Homemanager, it's from the web. Found it under Google images.
Is there a particular website that everyone has been getting their pictures from? I've been using my own pictures, so I'm limited in my selections.
Thanks!
Just go to Google and above their search box there is Images, click on that and away you go. That's where I go and it's okay. I'm sure there are probably other great places too, but this has been my quick stop for pics.
Blessings
Thanks! :o)
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