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When I was a kid I remember my mom saying, “Don’t touch the stove Lyndsay!  It’s hot!”  I knew that it was hot because my mom told me.  But the first time I touched that hot stove and burnt my arm, I knew it was hot!  I understood it differently (and better!) because I had experienced it.  Similarly, as a young woman, I knew that the gestation period for a human baby was 9 months.  But when I became pregnant, carried that child, and held her in my arms for the first time, I knew it in a completely different way.  

Experiencing something helps move the knowledge of something from our head to our hearts.  This is how God wants us to know Him.  He doesn’t want us to just know about Him: that He is gracious, compassionate, generous.  He wants us to experience His grace and generosity for ourselves.  Take a look at Isaiah 43:10:

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,

    “and my servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may know and believe me

    and understand that I am he.

Before me no god was formed,

    nor will there be one after me.

The Lord desires us to know and believe and understand that He is God and there is no one like Him.  To know and believe and understand that God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do.  Nothing on this earth compares to knowing Him!

So, how do we help our kids know God better on their own?  First of all, we certainly need to continually tell them who God is and what He’s done.  Check out our resources below (you will also find them at the Parent Resource Center!) for some ways to help you do this:

2. Nursery: Jesus (Big Theology for Little Hearts Series)
3. Preschool: Everything a Child Should Know About God 
4. Elementary: What the Bible is All About

Secondly, we need to equip our kids to begin to experience God on their own.  As our kids get older, it’s important to transfer learning to them instead of always telling them and ‘talking’ at them.  Here are a few practical ways to do this:

1. When reading a story or verse(s) from the Bible, ask the questions: What does this teach you about God?  What does this teach you about people and their need for Jesus?  How will you respond?
2. Teach your kids about the work of the Holy Spirit by asking questions like (especially during conflict): What is the Holy Spirit telling you to do?  Is there a verse the Holy Spirit is bringing to mind?  Is there an attribute of God the Holy Spirit is reminding you of...how can you demonstrate that attribute to ______ in this situation?  

Most importantly, we must model what it looks like to know Jesus.  If you want to help your kids know Jesus better, start with your own heart.

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