Did you know the average child is using technology by the age of two? Our children are constantly bombarded by technology. And with the vast majority of people now living in suburban or urban environments, our children are constantly surrounded by things made by man. It’s no wonder someone recently said to me, they didn’t know where to look for God!
Psalm 19 is a beautiful Psalm. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1 NIV) As important as it is for our children to learn the Bible, it may be even more important for them to learn to see God working in the world around them. Even many Christians are telling our young people God is a distant, dis-interested God. He set the world in motion and I guess they assume is sitting in an easy chair watching us as some giant reality show.
Fortunately, that is not the God described in the Bible. God wants a relationship with us and even set creation to point us to Him. Romans 1:20-22 – “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.” (NIV)
Sound familiar? Our churches often spend an enormous amount of time helping our children understand the scriptures. For some children, that will be enough. Many children though, need to see God in action. Somehow in our rush to find “proof” texts, we missed the very verses which describe other ways to teach our children about God.
Creation was made to honor the Creator – God. Science can try and take back Creation from God, but they will never really succeed. As long as we spend time soaking in God’s handiwork, we will feel that connection to God he intended for us to feel.
What can creation teach us about God? Take your children outside. Walk in the forest or through a meadow. Go apple picking. Wade in a creek. Go rock hunting. Look up at the stars in the sky. See how many different kinds of bugs you can find in your yard. Smell the flowers in the garden. What do they tell you and your children about God? Comment below on your conclusions and I will give you some of my reflections in my next post.