Out of the mouths of Babes

My 5 year old granddaughter  and I read from a Children's Bible each week when I babysit for her. We read the record and then she wants to discuss what happened. We have read through the whole Children's Bible already and are on our second time around. Today we discussed Jacob's family.  I asked her what it must it have been like in that family with 12 children with 4 moms. We wondered together whether they shared their toys and how they behaved together. My granddaughter said it must have been 'wild' as she clapped her face between her hands! It WAS a pretty wild family that ended up leading as heads of the 12 tribes of Israel!

I love reading through these records with her as it makes me think from another point of view.  She loves reading the Bible and loves to discuss it. It has had a profound effect on my own reading and studying. Children's minds are amazing. I truly enjoy my conversations with all my grandchildren, it speaks well of how much their parents talk and teach them. I find myself amazed by the things they talk about and I love to listen to them.

Somehow, today, we got to talking about Moses too. My granddaughter wanted to know what his name meant. We grabbed the dictionary of Biblical names and as I started to look Moses up, she said, 'It must have something to do with water since he was found in the water'.  Sure enough that is what his name meant: 'drawn from the water'. She remembered how God protected baby Moses.

Jesus Christ shared a great point in the first part of Matthew 18 about children in general:

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, 3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted (do an about face), and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. Matthew 18:2-5

What a great lesson! Jesus Christ did not have a wife or kids, but he knew children and he had a great Father.  They recognized him and he recognized them. He had read in the scrolls in Deuteronomy about talking to and teaching children:

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7) Read the whole context!

Just try talking to the next kid you see in a shopping cart at the grocery store and see how how excited they get when some says "Hi and how are you today?".  Or, at the next wedding you attend, try winking at the kid looking at you in the row in front of you! In Deuteronomy it was the kids that were to get the Israelites into the promised land. Deuteronomy is about preparing them to do that.

Talking and teaching children is not about teaching them traditions of men or religious ritual. It is about sitting with them, walking with them, lying down and rising up with them.  In our day and time it might be while at the zoo, on vacation, while fishing, at the library and while watching TV together (great discussions arise watching Dora or Bubbleguppies and Caillou can start some very rich discussions). There are so many opportunities to talk about stuff! It's about sharing God's love, peace and thankfulness as we move around this ole world together in freedom.