Let’s Talk About God
How do we talk to young children about God? This can be a difficult feat when we may struggle with the answers ourselves. We know the Trinitarian God to be our creator, redeemer, sustainer - “ever present in our time of need”. We also know that God is much more than this, so trying to explain to a child who God is can get quite complicated! Imagine saying to a three-year-old, “God is three persons in one…” and following up with the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
One thing to remember is that children are born having experienced God. In Psalm 139, we hear of the inescapable love of God. From our inception, it is God who “knit [us] together” and who knows our “inward parts”. It is God whose spirit we cannot flee. It is God who is present in our most triumphant moments and in the depths of our despair… and children do feel joy and despair in their lives. So, how does this help us in talking with children about God?
Sometimes we can find a way to communicate God’s grace through children’s literature. Recently I read The Runaway Bunny through new eyes - the eyes of the Psalmist! In this story, familiar to those who care for small children, the baby bunny comes up with all of these scenarios in which he runs away from his mother. But, no matter where he goes or what he becomes, his mother assures him that she will run after him. She is present for him in a way that children understand. Eventually, the bunny decides to stay right there in the arms of his mother.
What are some the ways that you talk to children about God?
Resources:
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
The Spiritual Life of Children by Robert Coles
Where Does God Live by Gellman and Hartman
Psalm 139
