One thing that I learned all throughout this last summer is that kids are always more capable than you think they are. Especially here in America, we allow children to live in their own world; there are kids meals at restaurants, Sunday school classes for each grade level, and even having all social events catered to children. Don’t get me wrong, none of these things are bad, but I have observed and learned from others about how because we tend to separate children from adult spaces and environments, we tend to assume that kids aren’t as capable as they actually are.
In fact, children of all ages are true sponges; they learn about the world around them, and as they grow up, adapt to the environment around them. So, if they are simply in environments that are specifically catered to their desires, instead of spending time in what we call the “real world”, with “adult meals” at restaurants and church classes that go deeper than reading a quick story then playing all day, then we end up unintentionally limiting our child’s growth.
These are always interesting cultural things to observe, and to see how different countries and people groups choose to implement children into their everyday life, because it is not like one group is automatically “right” or “wrong”. Instead, we get to learn how these differences end up shaping culture over a long period of time. In our case, we end up allowing kids to adapt to a childlike environment, and allow them to have to adjust to the adult world when they are older.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a prime example of this, so I am not saying this on any sort of pedestal. I am one of the pickiest eaters that I know, and recently I am realizing how much time I waste scrolling on my phone instead of leaning into my hobbies.
So basically, all of that to say that we tend to underestimate kids and their abilities. One big way that I saw that this summer was during our CrossTalk time. For those of you that are consistent readers of the blog, you’ve heard me talk about it many times, but this is the time at the end of the day where we have a discussion about what we’ve been learning. It immediately follows our evening chapel, and happens right before the campers all get ready for bed. We sit in a big circle on the floor of the cabin, and us counselors lead a discussion based on what the message that night was over. Each week is different from the last; some weeks the cabin is invested and wants to discuss and talk about it all night, while other weeks there are only one or two campers that want to join in the discussion. Obviously, I want them all to be curious, ask questions, and get involved, but I understand that everybody is at a different place in their faith journey.
This summer, one of my co counselors had a great idea; we put a green bucket in the cabin, and at the beginning of every week, we let our girls know that this was our question bucket. If the girls had any questions throughout the week, whether it was about that night’s message, or literally anything else related to Jesus, the Bible, or faith, they could write it down anonymously. Then, we would look over it at the end of the week, find the answers if we didn’t already know it, and go over them all on the last night of camp.
Some weeks were more successful than others. I know that there were a few weeks that no girls ended up writing questions, and that’s okay! The point of this box was to help the girls feel comfortable about asking questions, and didn’t have to worry about them feeling stupid for not knowing the answer, or feeling weird about asking a question in front of a bunch of people. However, I understand that this can still be daunting, and it’s okay to not have a million questions.
Some weeks, though, I was absolutely floored by the different questions that they asked. We got countless questions about random topics like dinosaurs, early pre recorded history and how the Bible was passed on, different Bible stories, and even different doctrines. It was so amazing to see these girls’ curiosity go wild, especially as we had different conversations with them throughout the week.
In addition, there were lots of nights where we literally had to stop the girls from asking questions because of how late it was getting. During CrossTalk, we like to start asking questions to the girls about the night’s message to get them thinking, but we also kind of allow them to take the reins. We learned about the story of the Prodigal Son this summer, which is so cool, because it is a great way to talk about sin, redemption, and the love of God. It is great to get to talk to the girls about this, but honestly, to me what is most important is allowing them to ask questions about the things they’ve been thinking about, and giving them the space to share if there is something on their minds and hearts. Sometimes, the best conversations happen when they take the conversation and lead it, sharing their thoughts while working through what God has laid on their hearts.
Honestly, I don’t think I expected the level of maturity and complexity that these girls had this summer. I wasn’t prepared to be answering deep theological questions, and getting questions from a ten year old that I had absolutely no idea what the answer was. It was so amazing to see their hearts at work, and to see that God is stirring something up in them.
So, the moral of the story is, don’t underestimate people just because of their age like I did. “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12). Don’t assume that they don’t understand things, or that they don’t have a valued opinion on Biblical topics. Instead, push them and challenge their beliefs, allowing them to think for themselves and to turn to the Word of God for answers. Don’t simply give shallow stories, but instead teach them alongside Biblical truths, as well as doctrinal and devotional applications. Prepare kids to go to their school and tell their friends about how Jesus loves them, and help them be a light even from a young age. Once we call these children to a higher calling, and guide them in their faith early on, they will have grown up spending time in the Bible and getting curious about what it has to say!
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