Serving in Mission – enabling children to contribute
For too long children have been seen as objects of the mission rather than active participants in the mission. Children are not simply to be seen as jugs to be filled with information but rather as whole people of God who can actively contribute to the mission of God.
When any person has to give an account of the hope that is within them this causes their faith to grow deeper roots. This is true for all ages. Where are the opportunities for your children and young people to be able to give out as well as taking in as they continue to grow in their journey with Jesus? This is a big question – check out www.faithfullgeneration.com for more insights.
Responding with compassion – helping children learn by doing
We are acutely aware of the brokenness in the world which surrounds our children. We all have hopes and fears about the future. Too often we provide our children with the adult solutions to some of the world’s problems rather than presenting them with the issue at hand and inviting their suggestions for what could be done. The Internet is filled with stories of children today who are changing their community and the world in their own way. What might be possible with your children if they were given the opportunity?
A common scenario is that one of the parents will deliver a meal to a needy family in the community while the other parent stays at home to babysit the children. Or both parents are involved in meeting a local need and they hire a babysitter for the children for this time. How much better would it be, in terms of deepening faith, if the children were involved not only in the delivering or the outworking of this compassionate response but also in the planning and preparation of what is to take place.
It is time for some fresh thinking, some creative thinking, some risky thinking about how we can empower our children and give them a voice to be agents of change in our broken world.