On Really Seeing Children – Part 2.
So, after reading yesterday’s post, I wonder if you’ve figured out what type of adult you might be to the children in your life? Are you the type that avoids interaction with children, or the type that really sees them? Or do you sometimes slip between the two and thank God for the forgiving nature of children? (Yep, that’s probably me!)
Apart from the two aspects that I wrote about yesterday (Taking time to get to know children, and Encouraging the potential within the child) there is another important thing seeing adults can do:
My heart was captured for mission very early!
Invite children to participate in the world beyond themselves.
Childhood can naturally be a very inward focused time of life. A child’s worldview is intimate and immediate. It’s how we were designed to learn, starting with those close to us and gradually opening up. There comes a time, however, when the worldview of children needs to be challenged to include those beyond their immediate circles. This is fundamentally a missional shift and it links very closely with who the child is and where their potential lies.
I believe God puts action against injustice and poverty as a core part of our personhood. Being made in his image compassion and empathy are hardwired into us – and that includes children. Often the immense brokenness of the world (I wrote about it briefly in a previous post) tempts us to keep the age of ‘childhood’ as an idyllic fun, filled, time of bouncing on trampolines and chasing kittens. Don’t get me wrong I’m all for trampolines and kittens – but when we see the compassion in a child, and realise the potential to raise a voice, or advocate against injustice, seeing adults need to provide opportunities for children to act. So how do we do this?
Provide child friendly information sessions
If you have the opportunity to raise awareness of an issue, or educate your church about a mission project, try to plan an event where children are welcome. Child friendly time-slots, lots of visuals, hands on activities are all great techniques. Exposure to these things allows a child’s heart to expand and you never know what God may be doing, or calling, in a child’s life.
Allow children to join your team
When kids do mission, or participate in advocacy events, alongside adults they gain not only a sense of inclusion, but of purpose. Doing is always a better way to learn than telling, especially for kids. Involving children in service teaches them habits of faith in action that are likely to remain with them forever.
Seek out opportunities for children to contribute
Logistically a child may be held back from many kinds of advocacy, service and mission opportunities. But there are so many things children can do. When writing to your local government about an issue of social justice, why not encourage your children to do the same? When raising money to support a missionary, allow children to join the brainstorming sessions. There are so many ideas and ways children can help in appropriate ways.
What ideas have you used to invited children to participate in the world beyond themselves?
Penny Reeve wrote the Tania Abbey novels as a means of answering the question: ‘What can an 8, 9 or 10 year old do to serve God and respond to the world’s poor?’
For more information visit www.pennyreeve.com