Holy Moments With Our Kids
by Tim PopadicWhy is it that some of the greatest wisdom and insights into spiritual matters often come from our children? It’s like kids have a direct connection to the spiritual realm – as if they’re able, through their childlike faith, to unlock the deep mysteries of God.
As a dad, I have a desire to be the spiritual leader of my home. Among other things, this commitment involves bringing my kids up in a personal faith and reflecting the very image of God to them. One of the best ways I have found to do this is to experience the sacraments together with my boys. But this doesn’t always work out according to my own well-laid plans.
I’ll never forget sitting in church a few years ago with our oldest son who was seven at the time. I had forgotten that this was the one Sunday in the month that our church celebrates communion. This presented something of a problem, since I had always intended to take time out to explain the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper for him before his first opportunity to partake.
The clock was now ticking. I had to make a decision: either get up and leave the service, or take the two minutes I had before the communion plate passed to explain the elements. I decided to go for it. My son had already prayed to receive Christ so there was no time like the present. I explained again what Christ had done on the Cross and how the elements were for “our remembrance” of the Cross. Then the moment of truth arrived. I was so excited for my son to embrace his faith and celebrate the sacraments with his father. As I watched, he took the bread and drank the cup. And then, in a very surreal moment that’s still ingrained in my mind, he looked up at me and said, “Dad, those Jesus snacks were great! When are they coming around with the free refills?”
Immediately that well-known Scripture came to mind: “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.” (Matthew 18:2-5 MSG)
The fact of the matter was that my son’s childlike faith had stopped me right in my tracks. It confronted me with some very basic questions. Do I get so excited about celebrating with my Heavenly Father that I desire more and more of Him? Do I savor every morsel of bread and every last drop of the cup? Or have I allowed the sacraments to become something less than a “Holy Moment”?
Helping our children “grow up” in an active faith requires us to be active in those “holy moments” with them. It entails finding creative ways to enable them to celebrate Christ and to fall in love with the Savior and His Bride the church.
It also means being consistently passionate in our own pursuit of God. If we are “all in” the first time we experience these holy moments together but become less engaged and less intentional on every succeeding occasion, what will that communicate to our children? It’s a question worth pondering.
Finally, we need to model authenticity with our children. We should let them know that there will be times when we have to allow Jesus to carry us in those holy moments. Our faith needs to be real to our family. My prayer for all of us is that God will offend our minds in order to get to our hearts. Then we’ll be able to say with genuine gratitude and expectation, “Free Refills Please!”
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