Occasionally, guest writers will appear in this space to talk about how they are ministering to their children during the pandemic. Occasionally, those writers will be actual ministers! That’s the case with this post. Renee Garrison is the pastor of Pisgah United Methodist Church and Oak Hill United Methodist Church.
When I was in seminary, my Christian Education teacher would say to us, “the best way to teach your children about God is to simply live the faith before them.” In other words, as you go about your days; let conversations about God and the things of God be a natural part of your daily lives.
I have two children. Mine are older now, however my husband and I have found that just letting the reading of scripture and prayer time be a natural part of family life has helped our children grow spiritually throughout their lives. Those of us with children may have struggled this past year during COVID-19 to help our children and a sense of security and peace and hope for life. Everything has truly been turned upside down. The way school is done, not being able to spend as much time in person with their friends, not being able to do life and even church the same way we did before COVID-19 has been quite challenging and unsettling.
Hearing about all the people around us who’ve lost loved ones to this awful disease has affected all of us. Many of us have experienced our loved ones struggling through this disease and many are still trying to recover. My family and I have found ourselves clinging to our faith more than ever before this past year.
Our college-aged daughter and our middle school aged daughter have both struggled with the sense of isolation that COVID-19 has brought to all of us. We have found that just being available emotionally to let them talk things out and to pray with them has helped tremendously.
There are many ways we can help our children grow spiritually during this pandemic and help them to remain hopeful in the midst of all of this overwhelming stuff that we are all having to deal with.
- Spending time in prayer. Our girls have always taken a turn praying in the evening before bed as we have our family devotional time at the end of the day. This year their prayers have become even more profound. Just being able to pray as a family has strengthened all of us.
- Being open and creating an atmosphere for your children to feel comfortable asking you questions about the things of God.
- Reading scripture with them before bed. When we take time to share in spiritual disciplines with our children, they will ask questions. And we will and many teachable moments. Also, when we take the time to help our children with spiritual formation we grow in our own relationship with the Lord so that we are able to help them grow even more.
The sixth chapter of Deuteronomy is a wonderful reminder of how important it is to live our faith before our children so that they can come to know God more deeply and live faithful lives unto the Lord.
Deuteronomy 6:1–9 (NRSV)
The Great Commandment
6 Now this is the commandment — the statutes and the ordinances — that the LORD your God charged me to teach you to observe in the land that you are about to cross into and occupy, 2 so that you and your children and your children’s children may fear the LORD your God all the days of your life, and keep all his decrees and his commandments that I am commanding you, so that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe them diligently, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has promised you. 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. 6 Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. 7Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. 8Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Know that we are all struggling to help our young ones grow in faith during these crazy times. May we pray for one another as we seek to help the next generation become faithful people of God.
Pastor Renee Garrison