Matching a child’s personality and spirituality
Different aspects of God’s character are going to attract one child more than another.
A child who likes routine
With a child who does not like change, who likes routine, and who references the past for clues about what to do in the present, God’s unchanging nature (the same today as he has always been) draws that child close.
So if your child worries about things, you can reassure him that the problem he has now is something God has seen before, and what you know of God in the past is what you can expect to see in the future.
A high energy child
Another child is high energy, curious, and all about action and excitement. If you focus with this kid on God being the same today as he has always been, he doesn’t get excited–how boring!—and does not connect strongly with this part of God’s character.
To this child you talk about God being the most adventurous person they’ve ever seen, how God is right there with them when they are taking risks, doing brave and exciting things. Don’t expect them to relate with a God who is boring or who has lists of rules.
While another child wants to do what’s right and needs structure, rules make this action-seeker want to rebel. Rules? I want to be outside the box, to push the limits, to test the boundaries.
A better approach is to emphasize how difficult it is to do the right thing. When you stand out from the crowd for doing what is right or just or good, you are very brave.
We give children a complete picture of what God is like….but
We think through which characteristics are going to click with each one. If this is overlooked, God can seem foreign to them, and makes it more difficult for them to find the connecting points they seek.
Tweetable
When a child asks about God, here’s an idea for matching their personality to God’s characteristics. Click to Tweet
A mother’s work is never done. The same could be said of a teacher. In this environment of budget cuts and layoffs, teachers often are called upon to be teacher, nurse, counselor, parent, custodian, judge/jury and cafeteria worker.
Entering a new school year, some parents and caregivers may not realize the combined frustrations and desires in the heart of their child’s teachers. As you read, maybe ideas will spark of how your human spirit can reach out to your child’s teachers this year.
I try to create an atmosphere of empathy and care. I spend a few minutes each day to create ‘teachable moments’ about how we treat one another and how our words and actions affect others. In other words, I’m teaching them the principle of how to treat your neighbor as yourself.