Saturday, May 24, 2008

Religion and Children

My children are a constant source of entertainment and ahhh haaa moments. Recently, both of them have had some conversations about religion, faith, and God that have caused me to smile.

One was when my eight year old daughter and her friend were sitting in the very back of my SUV as we made our way to gymnastics one evening. I picked up on this conversation mid-stream:

Friend: "I was saved on my Dad's birthday."


Em: "Saved? What do you mean saved?" (FYI we're Catholic and "saved" is not terminology we use in our faith the way others do.)


Friend: "You know the day I accepted Jesus into my heart."


Em: "But Jesus was always in your heart."


Friend:"I know, but you have to ask him and then you're saved."


Em: "You do?"


At this point I interject because I can see Em is beginning to look a little worried.


"Em at our church you were baptized as a baby, now you are studying the sacraments of Reconciliation, Confirmation, and First Communion. We believe you were "saved" when you were baptized and now you are getting to know Jesus even better as you study these sacraments."


Relief washes over Em's face and she nods.


"Yeah, that's right." says her friend.


"Okay." Em replies.


Then they go on to chat about other things happily. No judging, no arguing, no questioning, both just very comfortable with their God and their faith and each other.





Amazing what children can teach us!

1 comment:

Tanya said...

I'm reading a book now called "How Children Raise Parents." It's about listening to our kids and learning what they have to teach us. The author asserts that God uses kids to grow parents into maturity in their faith. It's so true! I've learned SO MUCH about God, my faith and myself since becoming a mom. My kids are forever opening my eyes to what God wants me to see all around me. It's amazing!