Two-minute read.
As a coach, I understand the importance of instilling the right foundation. If the essential elements get overlooked, it jeopardizes the student’s entire game. Not knowing the basics means not having anything to return to when the going gets tough. Each stroke has the same basic mechanics. In a match, when your balls start flying out of bounds, returning to the fundamental aspects helps you get your game and the match back on course.
In life, we have the same dilemma. Whatever foundation we lay for the child determines where they will look for help when life gets hard. Everyone will encounter struggles as they move through their days. When the world around us seems out of control, we need to know where to go for refuge. Training a child up in the way of the Lord gives them a solid base to build their life upon. When the storm winds blow, they know the One who can either calm the storm or them in it. But if we don’t teach them about Jesus, they won’t know to turn to Him.
In my first year of working with AWANA, a parachurch organization that supports churches in reaching children for Christ, I knew little about the program when I began volunteering. Since I began serving, I have heard story after story of how AWANA has impacted adult lives in terms of faith. They remember the verses they memorized as a child, even if they only attended sporadically, and those memories drew them back to the Lord after they strayed.
We do children a disservice when we don’t direct them on the right path. Teaching kids about Jesus gives them a firm foundation for their entire lives.
Journal Question:
When did you first learn about Jesus?
What kind of foundation did you learn as a child?
In what ways can you help children know about Jesus today?
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us the right path to follow and enabling us to share it with the next generation. Please help us give children a firm foundation in Christ that will help them thrive in life.
IJJNIP. Amen
