One morning at breakfast my young son asked, “Mom, which is older: God or oatmeal?”

    I’m not really sure why he chose that particular moment to ask me about God’s age—my first thought was to check the expiration date on the cereal box. But for whatever reason, he now looked to me for an answer.

    I was lucky this time. It was simple enough to explain in several seconds why God was older, and regardless of advertising claims, much more powerful than his oatmeal. The true importance of our conversation was the chance to bring God into an everyday conversation.

    One of the greatest joys—and challenges—of parenting is nurturing young children in their search for God. Church activities provide a wonderful spiritual foundation, but it’s the day-to-day interaction between parent and child that breathes life into a relationship with the Lord, bringing Him to earth and into young hearts.

     Deuteronomy 6:6-7 sets forth our mission: “And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then] You shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate, and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up” (amp).

The Cornerstone of God’s Plan

    So what is God asking us to do? First, He wants us to commit our lives to Him through a personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. How can we speak of the Lord to our children if He is a stranger to us? Faith must be present in the life of a parent before it can be shaped in the heart of a child.

Keep It Simple

    Realizing we often have trouble following directions, God has given us a simple game plan for incorporating faith into the lives of our children. His instructions are straightforward: Talk to them, taking every opportunity to make His love and care for us a part of everyday conversation.

    The New Testament shows clearly that the Lord understood the importance of spending time with children. In fact, He made time for them, often overriding the objections of those who disapproved. Jesus appreciated youngsters’ ease of faith and ability to trust, and even told us that we must become like them.

    By sharing God-given values and opinions, loving parents can quickly penetrate a child’s pliable heart. Knowing this, God encourages us to share age-appropriate spiritual matters with our children. He explains how we can tap into this time of openness, bringing His presence into their daily adventures with something as common as a ten-minute conversation.

Make it Real

    Building blocks of faith can begin with any part of a child’s life—there are no moments or opportunities too small. At our house, we have an established routine for automobile travel. Before the keys are in the ignition, we put on our seat belts and pray for a safe trip. We started this when the children were quite little. Now, if I forget to pray, they remind me in unison—three small but determined voices asking for God’s protection.

    And how do they know God will protect them? Experience. They have witnessed cars traveling toward us too quickly, or too recklessly, yet we were unharmed. We have had cars self-destruct in far-away places on vacation, yet God provided help and safety through it all. My responsibility is to point out, in normal conversation, that God heard and answered our prayers. It is within this natural flow of communication between parent and child that living faith is created and strengthened.

Understand the Goal

    One final word about my son, the oatmeal king. On a recent trip to a local mall, I allowed him and his three-year-old sister to make their usual visit to one of the indoor wishing wells. A lively debate ensued as I handed each a coin. Suggestions flew swiftly back and forth as they discussed, quite loudly, the best way to maximize this monumental wish. Within moments, my frugal three-year-old decided to keep her coin, slipping it quickly into her pocket. My son, however, closed his eyes, made his wish and tossed the coin. As the money splashed into the water, he motioned me down to his tiny face and whispered quietly, “I wished I could be a Christian.”

    With the joy only a parent can understand, I seized an unexpected opportunity to begin a very special conversation with my son—one that allowed me to explain how our heavenly Father had already granted this “wish” through Jesus Christ.

—Jo Upton