Dear [Children’s Minister],
There is a child named John whose family is very active in your church. As you probably know, he’s a quiet kid…but he’s also 100% boy. So, don’t let him fool you. He knows how to get into trouble.
Over the next few years, this six-year-old will experience a lot. He’s going to make a set of friends that look and act nothing like the children in your church. Don’t give up on him during that time. He’s going to grow his hair out and, thankfully, he will get brace to fix those cock-eyed teeth. He doesn’t know it yet, but he will be moving away from your church and your city in a few years. It will be a trying time for him. And that makes the lessons you are teaching at this moment that much more important.
In addition to knowing some down-the-road facts about John, you also should know that the world is changing rapidly around you. Letters like this are on their way to being ancient history. It’s true. You probably don’t know this, but about ten years ago, the U.S. Department of Defense started working on different ways to connect computers. They are now developing something that will be called the “Internet” and are already writing letters in a new way – through electronic-mail. That will eventually be an important part of John’s life…as will the ever-increasing materialism around the world. If John doesn’t have the proper foundation, these things could easily send him down the wrong paths and could also cause him to miss out on the “heaven on earth” aspects of the kingdom of God.
So, as you mark this child with some of his life’s core values, make sure you immerse him in a few key areas:
Mark him with Grace. Let him know how deeply God loves him and that God’s grace will cover him – even as he struggles with sinfulness throughout his life. Let him know that this is a defining characteristic of Jesus and that apart from grace, He’ll never comprehend the love of God. Also let him know that if he wants to follow in God’s ways, he has to be willing to extend this same type of grace to others. Life will be tough at times. But, receiving and giving grace will heal many wounds. It’s worth the time it takes to infuse this into his life!
Mark him with Generosity. Some people will never understand the importance of this, but trust me here. Generosity may provide the most powerful way for John to step into and experience God’s kingdom on earth. Don’t just teach him to be a nice, courteous kid. He deserves more than that. So, teach him to follow the radical generosity of God. Through this, help him to understand that God will always be his provider. Just like Jesus said, he doesn’t need to worry about what he will wear or what he will eat. Teach him that generosity is a very practical way to start walking in faith and to start taking hold of the kingdom. In the society he will live in, this may be the greatest gift you can impart to him.
If you can teach him those two big lessons, the rest of his life will come together nicely on that foundation. As he practices using grace and generosity, he will learn how to relate to God and the people around him in healthy ways.
So, dive in. Don’t back down. Have fun with him as you teach these things, but don’t let the pursuit of fun outpace these lessons. In fact, don’t let anything that is second best keep him from grasping these values. Mark him with grace and generosity.
One day, he’ll be incredibly appreciative of this foundation.
Sincerely,
A Dad who wants to teach these things to his own kids
