As parents, we often teach our children so much about christianity and living Godly christian lives. But do you know there are several simple lessons children can teach us about God? Even Jesus wants us to have a child-like faith.
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4 ESV)
Children can teach us so much from their innocent and simple lives. Here are a few of those lessons about Christ.
20 Lessons children can teach us about God
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Children always ask questions
Children are usually very free to ask questions. My daughter is constantly asking one question or the other. Even after giving her an answer, she still asks “but why mommy” a million times. They are not scared of asking questions or looking dumb or what the answer might be. They simply keep asking till they understand it with their little minds. Adults on the other hand get embarrassed after asking a question or two and stop asking to avoid looking dumb.
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Let go of grudges and forgive fast
They forgive so fast it’s amazing! No matter how many times we put my daughter on time out or yell at her, 5 seconds later she acts like nothing even happened and jumps happily at us. I wish we could be like that as adults, letting go of grudges rather than letting them deprive us of our own personal Joy.
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Have strong faith and trust completely
When you are nice to them, they will most likely be your friends. They believe whatever we tell them especially as parents and hold unto it without any doubt. For instance, I have learned not to make empty promises with my daughter. If I tell her I will give her the moon tomorrow, best believe she will demand that moon tomorrow. As children, they trust their parents wholeheartedly and do not have any doubts in their promises. This is how we should be with God, trust in whatever he has told us or promised us. If he tells us to do something, we should not have doubts or be scared, simply trust him and do it. If he has promised you something, do not let situations or past occurrences make you doubt him.
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They are willing to learn
They are always so open to learning every new thing. They are eager to learn to walk, crawl, eat etc. My daughter always wants me to teach her everything I am doing and gets upset when I tell her I cannot teach her to light up the fire or cut onions ha-ha. I will gladly teach her age appropriate things, but I love how open minded they are to learn and soak in everything. As adults, we sometimes get scared about learning due to fear of failing or not getting it immediately.
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Trust their parents
Have you noticed how careful they can be when they are on their own? That same child will throw all caution in the air when the parent is around. The other day, my brother was watching tv not paying much attention to my daughter and before he knew it, she flung herself forward expecting him to catch her despite the fact that he was not paying attention. Of course, he caught her, which is where the trust comes in. As children they believe that as long as we are around them, they have nothing to fear. Again, the same way we should be when God asks us to do something.
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Children pray with their hearts
Listen to their little simple prayers, it’s so refreshing. I love when my daughter prays at night. She prays for the simplest things with all her heart and does not care what anyone says or thinks. All that matters is her prayer to God. She will pray for her teddy bear, the babies, the blanket, the pillow and so many random things. Wouldn’t it be nice as adults to always communicate so simply with God without distractions or thinking if our prayers sound perfect or doubting if God can answer the prayer?
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Always want to be like their parents
Kids always want to be like their parents and do what their parents are doing or saying. They soak in everything we do and say easily. Even as adults, we should desire to be just like our heavenly father in every aspect of life and do everything he does and says without picking out what parts we find easy or hard.
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Children live in the moment
Matthew 6:34: Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Children do not worry about tomorrow, they live life fully and in the moment. They do not bother about what is going to happen tomorrow and do not let it affect their today. If they were punished earlier, they do not hold unto it, all that matters is NOW. No matter what your past looks like and no matter how scary the future may seem, if you chose to stop worrying and really focus on what is, you will realize that your worries were in vain.
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They know their authority
Children know their authority. They are our children and they know it and take advantage of it. My daughter behaves best at school, but when she is home, it’s a totally different story. This is because she knows her authority at home. Of course, there are boundaries and rules, but she knows she is our child and will definitely try pushing our buttons here and there. When my parents came to visit and stayed in the guest room, my daughter will go in timidly to say hello, however when she needs to come to our room, she will walk in freely. Take hold of that authority you have as adults in Christ and put the enemy to shame. Walk boldly in the knowledge of Christ.
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They love unconditionally
They do not have any requirements for loving others. As long as you are willing to play with them, that is all that matters. Adults sometimes have requirements or things we look for in friends or in showing love to others. But not kids, they are so simple minded.
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Pleasure in little things
My daughter finds please in the most random things. Some days she will burst out laughing at the color of the wall or at a silly sound she hears. These are things that as adults, we will probably not even notice or pay attention to, yet they derive so much pleasure and laugh crazily. As adults, we are often carried away by so many distractions or challenges that we are not able to take time and appreciate the littlest things. Take some time to laugh and find pleasure in what your kids laugh about.
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Follow willingly
They trust in our ability as their parents to guide them, so they gladly follow our lead. This is how we need to trust God as adults. Imagine what impact we could have on the world if we simply let God lead us daily rather than try to analyze everything or lead ourselves.
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They are helpful
My daughter is always willing to help, well most times. Even when It is dangerous, she refuses to believe she will be of no help to me. Sometimes, meal time gets messier or longer because she has chosen to help me out in her own little way.
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Believe in themselves
If you ask a child what they plan to be in future, they can tell you the most unexpected things and with so much confidence. They could say president, king, doctor, anything without thinking of how it will happen. As far as they are concerned, that is what they want to be and there is no question about it. As adults, we need to believe in ourselves more. Especially when we have Christ regardless of its we have the qualifications or not. Stop doubting yourself and go after that thing you have been running away from. Look at a baby trying to crawl or walk, no matter how many times they fall, they always get up immediately and keep trying till they get it. They refuse to pay attention to their surroundings, what people are saying or doing. Children are free to ask for anything even the moon and trust that they can have it. They do not limit themselves to what they think they can do.
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They are carefree
I wish we could be this carefree. Children let go of all their fears and doubts and let themselves be free. This is when we as adults can truly enjoy life, when we forget our past failures and just trust and live life without so much caution or fear. We would be able to see ourselves for who we truly are when we can let go of these and past regrets.
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Give without expecting
Children give without expecting you to give them something back, well most times I think. Except for when my daughter gives me something because I promised I will get her chick fil A milkshake lol. To them everyone is special and the same. They do not give expecting that they must get something in return. Kids simply give just to share with others
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Always speak the truth and express themselves freely
Ha-ha children definitely on most occasions speak the truth to a fault. The other day I went to a store with my daughter, she saw an old man with long weird beard and started yelling and pointing, “mommy that’s Santa Claus”. I had to put her hands down and cover her mouth lol. Whenever someone farts, she immediately points to the person and says “xyz farted”. They definitely have no issues saying the truth. They simply say what is on their mind or how they feel. As adults, we also need to speak the truth especially when the need arises and also express our true selves freely.
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These are some of the lessons i am learning from my daughter and from children in general about being a christian.
What are some lessons you have learned from your kids?
If you enjoyed reading this post, feel free to check out these others on raising Godly children:
lessons in building Godly homes
Godly parenting tips for moms and dads
Keys to raising Godly children
Roles of fathers in the lives of children