How can you make God real to your toddlers and young children? One way is talk about your awesome God 24/7 as Deuteronomy 6:5-7 commands.
These words urge that God is to be loved so passionately that his commands will be on the hearts of his people. Once this heart infusion of the love of God takes place the result will be that the love for God’s commands will overflow from your mouth and into the lives of your children. This is not mere information transfer. This is being so in love with God and his commands that this becomes the focal point of conversations with children.
So, what does this have to do with young children, toddlers and infants? In the crush of life it is possible to go hours if not days and not talk about God and how special he is. This is particularly true with the very young who are not yet engaging in back and forth verbal communication. There must not be huge gaps of time when God is not talked about. (If you think this is just an Old Testament concept look at passages like I Corinthians 10:31 and Colossians 3:16-17.)
It is too easy to forget that there is never even a millisecond when God is not actively caring for you. Indeed, your next breath and your child’s next breath only happens if God makes it so. The wonder of God’s involvement in your life needs to be a big deal to you. I am not talking about engaging in non-stop systematic theological discourse. I am simply saying that expressions about the wonder of God should never be far from your heart and your mouth.
Here are some examples:
Mommy is so thankful to God for you, even when you have a stinky diaper.
Sweetheart, the sun is so warm and bright, God made it that way for us.
I know you are hungry, I am so thankful that God will take care us and give us the food we need.
Look at that turtle with its hard shell! God makes each of his creatures special.
I know it is raining and we can’t go outside. But remember, it is God who sends the rain so that we can live.
Mommy is praying right now that God will make you feel better.
Wow, that was fun. It is so neat that God made us so that we can have fun together.
Look at al the pretty colors. God is so special!
That was close! Thank you God for taking care of us.
You see, I am not talking about rocket theology here. Nothing is more basic than acknowledging that every second of every minute in your life is given to you by God. This is one way to show the glory of God to your kids. This is a powerful, practical way to make him real!
7 thoughts on “Making God real to your young children”
Thank you for this post. I have read your articles about parenting for a while now, and this one hit home for me. I was encouraged to remember that God is with me and my family every second of the day. This is especially meaningful to me now that my son is experiencing health problems that we have to investigate. The future is scary and it is so good to remember that God is here with us, all the time. Thank you for the reminder.
Thank you for your comment. May God bless your family and your son.
How do I talk to my 8th n 11 year about being baptized
The best plan is to talk with your pastor.
Except God isn’t real…
Sarah, on whose authority are we to understand that God is not real? Would that be your authority? Or are you believing someone else’s authority? You see, Sarah, you are just like the rest of us, apart from the grace of God you cannot cope with flawed frailty that greets you when you look in the mirror. I pray that God will cause you to see the futility of wanting the world to be what you want it to be.
Thank you for such a practical approach. I have a 2 year old and 4 months old and with all the daily duties and routine I’ve failed to speak about God and made Gods word rules not way of life. My toddler even started to refuse prayer because she didn’t see beauty in it anymore. Thank you and God bless!