229 Sermon Illustrations on Children

”Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:13-14 NIV).

I read about one six-year-old boy who came home from school one day with a note from his teacher who suggested that he be taken out of school, as he was “too stupid to learn.” His name was Thomas Edison.

Jesus certainly elevated the important place of children when he invited them to come to him so he could bless them.

Every child is important. Some will achieve greatness. Consider what Thomas Edison, inventor of the electric light bulb (and many other helpful inventions) did for us today. Early in his inventing career, Edison “had 40 different projects going at the same time and was applying for as many as 400 patents a year.”

And consider the following story of how an eleven-year-old child helped the blind.

In 1806, A French cavalry officer, Charles Barbier, reported a system of dots which he had developed for use as code messages. The messages would be meaningless to the enemy, but could be decoded by the initiated. He called his system “night writing.”

Barbier demonstrated his find to the Paris School of the Blind in 1820, but the head of the school dismissed it as impractical. An eleven-year-old pupil, however, was impressed and determined that he would perfect the “night writing.” That pupil was Louis Braille!

Not every child will become famous … but every child is important to God and has a place in God’s economy.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to respect and love children as you did. Help me to love and encourage every one that crosses my path. And help me to model your love for them as an example they will want to follow. Gratefully in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

• If I knew it would be the last time that I’d see you fall asleep, I would tuck you in more tightly and pray the Lord your soul to keep.

• If I knew it would be the last time that I would see you walk out the door, I would give you a hug and kiss and call you back for one more.

• If I knew it would be the last time I’d hear your voice lifted up in praise, I would video tape each action and word, so I could play them back day after day.

• If I knew it would be the last time, I could spare an extra minute or two, to stop and say that “I love you,” Instead of assuming that you KNOW I do.

• If I knew it would be the last time I would be there to share your day, well, I’m sure you’ll have so many more, so I can let this one slip away.

• For surely there’s always tomorrow to make up for an oversight, and we always get a second chance to make everything all right.

• There will always be another day to say our “I love you’s” And certainly there’s another chance to say our “Anything I can do’s.”

• But just in case I might be wrong, and today is all I get, I’d like to say how much I love you and hope we never forget. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old alike, And today may be the last chance you get to hold your loved ones tight.

• So, if you’re waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

• For if tomorrow never comes, you’ll surely regret the day,

• That you didn’t take that extra time for a smile, a hug, a kiss, And you were to busy to grant someone, what turned out to be their one last wish.

• So hold your loved ones close today, whisper in their ear, Tell them how much you love them, And that you’ll always hold them dear.

• Take the time to say “I’m sorry” “please forgive me” “thank you” or “It’s ok”

”He called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” Matthew 18:3 (NIV)

“Nobody in a family is weaker or more vulnerable than a little child, yet the greatest people in God’s kingdom are those who view themselves as children.” The Leadership Bible (NIV)

A few generations back, the normal and formal way to begin and end a child’s day was with morning and bedtime prayers. They were recited out loud, usually beginning or ending with requests for God to bless their families and friends, wishing everyone well. Today, however, in most homes, such prayers have lost favor. The busy and stressful pace of today’s family life doesn’t seem to lend itself to such prayer activity.

Why prayer is important for children: • “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” — Alfred Lord Tennyson

• It gives a child instant communication with the God of the Universe, who always is ready to hear the concerns of His children.

• It is a means of opening and expanding a child’s heart and mind to the will of God and the needs of others.

• It promotes a habit of generous and loving concern as a child prays for the welfare of other people.

• It promotes health. If children are exposed early enough to “good” thoughts and attitudes, they may be able to avoid going through experiences that produce their opposites. By emphasizing through prayer such qualities as confidence, optimism, and generosity (i.e. faith, hope, and love), their souls will expand beyond self-centeredness and open up to a reliable source of strength — God Himself.

• It starts the day with the right focus, and provides a good transition to sleep, carrying a child from excitement to calm.

• It builds warm rapport between parents and children. It’s a time when all family fighting stops, all pandemonium is interrupted, all problems suspended, and all tensions relaxed.

• How you can encourage prayer time: Decide that it is important — to you, your child, and God. Show your child that it is a privilege — not a duty — to talk with God.

Set aside time morning and evening. It can be as little as three minutes.

Encourage your children to express their thoughts in their own words. Help them to include praise, thanks, apologies, concerns, and requests for others as part of their prayer.

A preschooler will not be as fluent in expressing his or her deepest thoughts as a sixth-grader, nor will their thoughts be as complex. But all are important. Don’t stop praying with a child when they hit age 8 or 9. Let them hear your prayers as well.

Make sure your child takes time to listen. Listening is as important a part of any conversation as talking is. We need silence in which to think, reflect, wait, and listen.

Explain to your children that God is their True Friend who made them and loves them, and that they can talk to Him whenever they like. He puts good thoughts in their heads and fills them with loving hearts.

Encourage your child to pray in such a way that if the prayers are not answered they will not feel disillusioned. A child may pray for good weather when planning a picnic and be crushed when it rains. But a local farmer may be praying for rain on that same day, rain he needs for his crops. God is looking out for all people.

What prayer can do for you and your child:

• It will help you get to know your child. You will have a daily reading on what is on your child’s mind and heart.

• It helps to clarify thinking, strengthen good resolutions, and increase the ability to love.

• It is a time for complete honesty. It’s not a time to impress God or parents.

• It points to blessings. It is a way to acknowledge privileges and joy with intense appreciation, and a way to examine personal goals and values thoughtfully and creatively, always seeking to do it God’s way.

• It establishes a predictable and reliable ritual in their life.

• It gives comfort in a world that can be disruptive and scary.

• It helps you and your child focus on joy. Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God.

~~~~~~~~~~

Teilhard de Chardin Joan Bel Geddes is the author of numerous books on subjects from childcare to the civil rights movement. Her most recent work is Childhood and Children: A Compendium of Customs, Theories, Profiles, and Facts. She continues her freelance writing from her home in New York City.

PARENTING PEARLS OF WISDOM

• I Childproofed My House, But They Still Get In!

• We Got Rid of the Kids -- The Cat Was Allergic

• Got Pickles? (on a maternity shirt)

• Don't Worry, Mom -- It's Just a Phase

• You Spend the First Two Years of Their Lives Teaching Them to

Walk and Talk -- and the Next 16 Telling Them to Sit Down and Shut Up

(Slogans for T-shirts suggested to the Washington Post)

*

“Why?”

It's one of the most popular questions of all time, especially among children. And when “why” is asked as a result of a traumatic life event, Ann Miller believes children should be given appropriate and honest answers. Miller, director of pastoral care at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, discussed the topic, “Hold My Hand: Spiritually Helping After Violence & Trauma,” in a series of workshops.

Miller identified trust as the principal factor needed in helping children cope with trauma. Even for adults, who often revert to their childhood when trauma strikes, trust must be a significant factor in the healing process, she said.

After high-level trauma or an injury, a consistency of trust allows a child to develop courage, hope and love, ultimately leading to healing, Miller said. “There are some things that we'll never understand this side of heaven,” she acknowledged, “but one of the things we have to do with children dealing with tragedy is answer any questions that we can and let them know they can trust us.”

Referencing Judith Herman's book “Trauma and Recovery,” Miller emphasized three key steps toward helping a child recover from trauma: establish safety, allow remembrance and mourning, and then develop reconnection.

“Often children are seen as 'non-persons' in tragedy,” a feeling Miller exhorted parents and children's workers to address with honesty.

*

Oh, how we need to treasure each moment with our children! At all costs, we must never cause them to question our love. Rather, we should diligently seek out ways to verbalize our affection and care. Why not be generous with our hugs? We might think they feel too old for that, but they may like it more than we think.

Remember David and Yvette, the father and daughter whose tragic story I told in the previous devotion? As they made their last trip together as Daddy and his little girl on this side of heaven, David turned to his sweetheart and said, “I love you.”

Yvette looked up at him with her cute little smile and replied, “I love you more!”

The next moment, she was in heaven.

Little Yvette went from the presence of her loving father on earth into the presence of her loving Father in heaven. You couldn’t ask for more than that.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints,” says Psalm 116:15. Why is this so? It’s because, through the work of Jesus Christ, God has taken the sting out of death. It still hurts us to lose a loved one, even a loved one who walks by faith with Jesus Christ — yet as the apostle Paul could say, “The perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with the immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:53-56).

Months after the accident, David still grieved the loss of his daughter. Yet he did not grieve as those who have no hope, as those who do not know Jesus Christ. David knows that he will see his daughter again – healthy, whole, and fully alive – because she received the same treasure in her heart that he has in his, “namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2-3).

To know that our children will spend eternity with the Lord should be our greatest hope, our shining goal. After all, they are not ours. We don’t own them. Sometimes we may think we own them, but in the end we always see that they belong to God. Our aim should be to bring them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and to point them to Him. That way, we can treasure every moment we have with them on earth and look forward to even richer times in heaven.

• Marriage Builder

There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow.” You must live in the present on today’s deposits, invest it so as to get from it the utmost in love, peace, joy, happiness, and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today. — Author Unknown

Now that school is over (is it really ever over?) and we have some free time on our hands, how will we spend it? What is important to get done: selecting and purchasing curriculum for next year, planning and scheduling the weekly assignments, catching up on household to-do lists, maybe just finishing up this school year? I must admit that as of today, I have only two out of four of my school age children really ready to graduate to the next grade level — we seem to hold one of Murphy’s laws in our little school, “the further we look ahead, the ‘behinder’ we get” or something like that. But, really, what is important for eternity? If we knew we may die soon, what would we want to have accomplished? What would we want to have taught our children? I’d wager a guess that it would have something more to do with relationships and less to do with the stuff of this earth.

Are we loving God? Do we communicate and express that love? Are we loving others? Do we communicate and express that love? Remember Jesus’ words, “If you have done it to the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto Me.” (Matthew 25:40) What have we planned to ensure that our summer will be worth something eternally? Here are a few suggestions I have come up with to help your summer be an “eternal” summer.

• Summer is not the time to stop daily devotions, but to expand them. Pray for missionaries and martyrs around the world. Check with your church for missionaries that would enjoy a box of blessings or a long overdue letter. Check the Voice of the Martyrs Link for activities that children can do to help others.

• Start a “compassion” jar where your children begin to save extra money for special gifts to be given to a needy person or ministry. This teaches the children about sacrifice and offerings that go above and beyond their normal tithe.

• Take your children to a Convalescent Home. There are many lonely ones here who enjoy seeing and talking to your children. For the ones who cannot speak, a word of prayer with and for them is heard in heaven and treasured on earth. Check your local phone book for locations and visiting hours.

• Participate in a Pro-Life outreach, abortion protest or political rally. These have eternal value because they teach our children that freedom and life are given by God and should be upheld as extremely important issues.

• Visit a Crisis Pregnancy Center. Call and ask if there is a time when someone would be willing to speak to you and your children about what goes on there. After a tour of the facility, ask what your children could do to help. One year we were able to help the Center by washing the toys that the client’s children use while their parents are in counseling.

• Have your older children put on a one day Bible Camp at your house for the children in your neighborhood. This is something they will never forget if they are part of the creative process in coming up with fun crafts, games and Bible stories for the children.

• Look into prison ministries. Prisoners love to receive mail and visitors. We have seen people rededicate their lives to the Lord and have continued corresponding with them for years. Check with your local police chaplain for more information.

• Make a few sack lunches and go on a treasure hunt for the unemployed or homeless. You’re sure to find someone near you or in a downtown area. The children love making these lunches and handing them out. Before you go, pray for the recipient of the lunch and for God’s divine direction. Don’t forget to put in a few tracts as well.

• Take a big cooler of ice water or lemonade and paper cups to a local park. While the kids play, have them offer a cup of cold refreshment to whoever is there. The Lord may open the doors of communication through this small act.

• Actually speak to someone in the grocery store, whether a worker or customer. Just bringing in six children to shop has caused a number of conversations with customers and clerks alike. We recently met an older lady at the grocery store who was lonely and we were able to bless her with some visits, flowers and phone calls.

I have found that if I do not plan these things into my calendar, I will not do them. And, when the day arises, everything else will scream for priority. Make it a priority to put Jesus first, and He will help you with the other things that need attention.

Keep your eyes and ears open to God’s voice and His divine appointments this summer, and as you do, you will make an eternal difference in someone’s life — it may be yours!

”Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

Music is second only to television in influencing and shaping the values of our children. How can you help your kids recognize the subtle seduction to evil in some contemporary music and encourage them to make wise choices about what they listen to? Here are some practical suggestions:

1. Avoid the “do as I say, not as I do” syndrome. Before you can help your child evaluate his music, you’d better evaluate your own (Matthew 7:4, 5). The lyrics of some soft rock, easy listening, and country-western tunes are as suggestive and immoral as those performed by heavy metal groups. One of the best ways to teach your child to avoid harmful lyrics is by modeling the same behavior.

2. Be willing to find middle ground. Your personal taste in music should not be the determining factor for what you allow your children to listen to. Nor should your child’s taste determine what you listen to. Try to find some middle ground with your child when it comes to the kinds of music you will allow in your home. The key is to teach your child to be moderate and discerning, just as you are.

3. Stay informed and involved. When was the last time you looked through your child’s music collection or sat down with him to listen to and discuss the lyrics of his favorite songs? You won’t be able to understand the impact of the music in his life unless you are aware of it and what he thinks about it. I love dctalk, the Supertones and the W’s just to name a few of the popular bands of today. Yes, me, old Pastor Jeff. Do you?

4. Take time to listen to your children’s emotional struggles and notice how the music they listen to influences their behavior. Be as encouraging about their good choices of music as you are corrective of the bad choices. Someday they will thank you for the harmony you helped bring to their lives.

A child's first step is an occasion parents gleefully celebrate. Like a baby's first word or a teenager's first job, it is an independence day of sorts.

From the moment we are born, we are moving toward such occasions, learning to grow in self-reliance. We are rewarded with smiles when we start walking and dessert when we learn to say please. Though we don't always see eye to eye in the definition or application of the word, independence seems the desire of both parent and child. When my dad suggested it was time for my sister to learn to tie her own shoes, she confidently declared that she would not learn until she was 5! While maturity may be the goal of both parties, it is usually clearest in the mind of the parent.

In the same way, the best interest of a child is usually best discerned by the parent. When a father stands beside his son with his hand on the back of the bicycle seat, the goal is to slowly hold on less and less. If he lets go, it is not because he wants to let go of his son, but because he wants to show his son the joy of bike riding. Even so, letting go of the seat is not letting go of his role as parent. When boy and bike come tumbling to the pavement, consoling arms are not far off. And just as falls are more bearable when someone bigger is nearby, so the accomplishment is more victorious when it is done in dad's sight.

Independence, it seems, is known at its best when it is experienced within certain roles. The psalmist reminds us that this is also true of God and humanity.

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting

the LORD's love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children's children-

with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

The LORD has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:13-19).

Like the children of Israel, like our first parents in the Garden of Eden, we are children struggling to exert our independence. When we see ourselves as we are -- children living near the Father, former dust and fleeting flowers -- we flourish under the everlasting throne. But when we fail to remember who we are, we miss both the joys of childhood and the wonder of independence.

The contrast is often visible. There is something disturbing about seeing the roles of parent and child reversed. When a 3-year-old has learned that she can control her parents, she is merely exercising the independence they taught her. Yet we are aware that it is independence gone wrong. The child is playing the role of something other than child; she is living outside of her own best interest.

To seize the power of independence while forgetting dependence on the one who longs most for our success is a disheartening sight. That a child first learns to seek independence at all is because of the love and guidance of a parent. Within the nature of independence lies the truth that we are, at our most authentic, undecorated level, wholly dependent upon something beyond ourselves. “I became my own,” someone once said “when I gave myself to Another.” It is in giving our lives to Christ that we find them, declaring independence in the freedom his life ordains.

As the psalmist writes and our lives confess, we are a people seeking what we were created to know. Our days of independence are most worth celebrating under the everlasting throne of God. He who formed us is the Maker of independence; in his service is perfect freedom.

________

Copyright © 2006 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

Do you ever forget that your kids are just… kids? It’s easy to do. You spend the whole day dealing with adults (some of whom act like kids) and suddenly you find yourself scolding your child for doing something childish. What do you expect children to do?

As parents, we try to let our kids be kids. We still discipline them, guide them, and correct them, but we also allow them some extra room to mess up. Why? Several reasons.

• Kids don’t know as much as we do; they’re still learning some of life’s basic lessons (like “if you turn your plate upside down, your ketchup will always fall off on the floor”).

• Kids don’t usually do things as well as adults; they’re still practicing some of the things we have gotten good at (like carrying a bowl full of milk and cereal without spilling it).

• Kids are easily distracted; they often forget what they’re doing and wander off to do something else (ok, I do that one myself sometimes).

And since we know these things about our kids, we try to give them a little extra room to mess up; after all, they’re just kids.

Psalm 78 was penned by a man name Asaph. I suspect Asaph had kids, because his understanding of God reveals an understanding of the “extra mercy” needed by children. Asaph, talking about God’s unfaithful children, says: “Their hearts were not really loyal to God; they did not keep his agreement. Still God was merciful. He forgave their sins and did not destroy them. Many times he held back his anger… He remembered that they were only human… “(Psalm 78:38-9, NCV)

In other words, God sees us as his children. He fully intends to discipline, guide, and correct us, BUT he also understands this critical fact: we are human. And with this knowledge, God restrains his anger, offering us patience as we struggle along our way.

God is a good parent who expects your best effort. But he also understands when you stumble and fall.

To my child:

I gave you life but cannot live it for you

I can teach you things but I cannot make you learn

I can give you directions but I cannot always be there to lead you

I can allow you freedom but cannot account for it

I can take you to church but I cannot make you believe

I can teach you right from wrong but I cannot always decide for you

I can buy you beautiful clothes but I cannot make you lovely inside

I can offer you advice but I cannot accept it for you

I can give you love but I cannot force it upon you

I can teach you to be a friend but I cannot make you one

I can teach you to share but I cannot make you unselfish

I can teach you respect but I cannot force you to show honor

I can grieve about your report card but I cannot doubt your teachers

I can advise you about friends but I cannot choose them for you

I can teach you about sex but I cannot keep you pure

I can tell you the facts of life but I cannot build your reputation

I can tell you about drinking but I cannot say no for you

I can warn you about drugs but I cannot prevent you from using them

I can tell you about lofty goals but I cannot achieve them for you

I can let you baby-sit but I cannot be responsible for your actions

I can teach you kindness but I cannot force you to be gracious

I can warn you about sin but I cannot make you moral

I can love you as a son/daughter but I cannot place you in God’s family

I can pray for you but I cannot make you walk with God

I can teach you about Jesus but I cannot make Him your Savior

I can teach you to obey but I cannot make Jesus your Lord

I can tell you how to live but I cannot give you Eternal Life

–- You see, I can only do so much. Now it’s your move.

Thanks for listening, YOUR PARENTS

A British survey of 1,600 under-10 children asked them what rules they would make if they were king or queen of the world. The number one response was to ban divorce. Divorce was also in the number two slot in the worst things in the world, an increase from the response in previous years.

1. My hands are small; please don't expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow down so that I can keep up with you.

2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely: don't restrict me unnecessarily.

3. Housework will always be there. I'm only little for such a short time-please take this time to explain things to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly.

4. My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to my needs; don't nag me all day long. (You wouldn't want to be nagged for your inquisitiveness.) Treat me as you would like to be treated.

5. I am a special gift from God; please treasure me as God intended you to do, holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by, and disciplining me in a loving manner.

6. I need your encouragement, but not your praise, to grow. Please go easy on the criticism; remember, you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.

7. Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself.

Permit me to fail; so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I'll be prepared to make the kind of decisions life requires of me.

8. Please don't do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts didn't quite measure up to your expectations. I know it's hard, but please don't try to compare me with my brother or my sister.

9. Please don't be afraid to leave for the weekend together. Kids need vacations from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids.

Besides, it's a great way to show us kids that your marriage is very special.

10. Please take me to Sunday school and church regularly, setting a good example for me to follow. I enjoy learning more about God.

The heroism of childhood is remarkable. Every week the newspapers tell of some child’s self-sacrifice that is almost beyond belief, were it not substantiated by facts. Even very young children do many brave acts that older persons would shrink from. A short time since a young lad sat reading a new book which had just come out, entitled “Under Dewey at Manila.”[*] He was exceedingly interested in the story of those brave heroes and said to his mother who was in the next room, “O, mother, how I wish I could be a hero!”

A very short time afterwards he heard his mother scream and rushing to the kitchen found her enveloped in flames. He tried to save her, and his presence of mind enabled him to do so, but he was so badly burned that he died from the effects of his burns. The daily papers wrote up the case, and the reading public in the great city of New York spoke of that boy’s bravery in giving his own life for his mother’s, and then like other notable instances of such courage, it passed out of thought and gave place to newer startling facts.

But that young lad was as true a hero as those he had been reading about in the line of battle and we are sorry that the item regarding the sad affair has been lost so that we cannot at this writing give the name of the boy. It is pathetic to see the devotion of the children of the poor to their parents and sisters and brothers.

In front of one of the large stores in the city at holiday time a little boy stopped to look at the show windows. He was wheeling his baby brother out for an airing and stopped in the crowd with the baby carriage. The little caretaker was feasting his eyes on the pretty things in the window which would make many children happy at Christmas time. All at once he heard the voice of a lady say, “That child in the carriage looks as if he were dead.” The boy turned and looking at the face of what he thought was his sleeping brother, saw a look he had never seen there before. A crowd gathered and a policeman came up and said, “The child is dead. Take him home,” and the little heartbroken brother, amid his sobs, took the little dead baby home, the policeman and some of the kindhearted people going with him.

In the tenement house where they lived it was learned that the baby had been ill, but he seemed so much better that morning that the mother thought it would do him good to get out into the sunshine and fresh air and had taken that opportunity to go away from home to work that she might earn a little extra money. It was pitiful to see the older brother’s great grief when he found the little baby he loved so much was really dead. He was afraid he had not done as he ought, perhaps he had kept it out too long in the cold air.

The homecoming of that afflicted mother was indeed a sad one. But she said to the older brother, “Don’t cry so, dear. You were always good to the baby and always willing to give up your own fun to take care of him.” We do not realize as we should the struggles and heroism of these children of the tenements.

________

“Present Day Parables” by J. Wilbur Chapman

[*] This book can still be purchased on the internet; it was first published in 1898.