This summer, I had the opportunity to train my team to teach Bible study to kids effectively. Throughout training, we talked about a lot of these “taboo words” and how to make the concepts behind them concrete for kids. Our goal was to present the Gospel in a way that every child could grasp and internalize in such a way that they could repeat it to their friends weeks, months, or even years later.
After a full day of the normal camp chaos, I asked a few of my leaders how Bible study had gone that morning. One replied, “I really felt like my kids were getting what salvation was all about. They were asking questions and no one interrupted and asked how long they had to wait until it was lunchtime today!” I was excited to hear about kids glimpsing a sight of what Christ had done on the cross for them.
A few seconds later, her last statement was followed by a dramatic pause and a “…but…” She then proceeded to tell me about a little boy named Cody who asked if he could ask her a question as they walked from Bible study to rec. She was happy to answer his questions, and prayed over the conversation as she asked him what his question was.
“Coach, you know how you said I have to walk with God? Didn’t you say we have to try to walk with Him everyday of our lives?”
“Yes, I did say that. We want to be obedient to Him, and we can know what He wants us to do if we walk with Him everyday,” she answered.
“Well, will I ever get a chance to sit down? If I walk my whole life I’m going to get really tired! I’m not sure I’ll make it!”
“When we become a Christian, we want to walk with God everyday.”
“Your life will now be a constant marathon of mammoth proportions. You will walk and walk and walk some more. Good luck. I hope your athleticism measures up to the eternity that you will be in perpetual motion.”
My friend answered his question with a smile. She told Cody that “walking with God” meant always living in a way that would make God smile. She talked about what Jesus had done, and that He paid for our sins. We were bought, and when we become Christians we want to live to show others that we belong to God. She told him how important reading the Bible and praying is, because that’s how we know what it is that God wants us to do. We want to always have a special relationship with God.
Cody got it. He later asked Jesus to be in control of His life that week and told his leader that if God asked him to walk forever for Him, he’d do it.
Tell us about a time when a kid in your ministry “got it.”