Note from the Editors: When a reader named Chasity wrote us an email asking questions about pointing preschoolers to Jesus, we tapped a few ladies to help answer her questions in a series of posts. Please read the introductory post here and look for the rest of the posts in this series in the index at the bottom of this article.
Chasity’s questions were these:
“I recently found your blog and have been greatly encouraged. I have a question regarding the mundane-ness of days at home. I have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, and when we have full days at home, we all seem to be bored and I seem to lack vision. What do you ‘do’ with your children during the days?
Sometimes I try to do little crafts or play games, but it seems there must be more to pointing my children to Christ. Would you mind sharing some ideas on how to fruitfully and purposefully fill the day?”
Melanie Yong shares her thoughts…
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I remember the days when my two older children were 4 and 2. And I have two more children who are yet to be 3!
I understand that feeling of lacking vision or feeling ‘bored’ in the day. There are only so many times I can read the same book, or so many times I can play that certain game before I feel like I am going to fall asleep. And I did fall asleep sometimes! Praise God my children’s salvation depends on the Lord and it doesn’t depend on me being fun!
But on those less-than-thrilling days, I would counsel myself with the fact that I had chosen to be home with my children so that they could learn from me, because I believed it honored the Lord. I would remind myself that this is a season: the days are long, but the years fly by. Don’t miss these days wishing them away. I would remember that God sovereignly and kindly gave me these children to shepherd here and now for His good purposes. And being home with them went toward glorifying Him.
In hindsight, I think that season was really more about the Lord sanctifying me and pointing me to Christ, than anything else. It is easy to find my identity in productivity and in a busy life because that is often what the world applauds. It is much harder to remember that I am in Christ.
My productive, filled days where the kids and I are having a blast doesn’t make me any more worthy of salvation, even though I feel good about having ‘done‘ things. On the contrary, they really reveal that I am putting my hope and contentment in things other than Christ. On the flip side, my mundane, at-home days really taught me to persevere in giving myself to what God had called me to do in that season. They taught me (and are still teaching me) that Christ is pleased when I work with all my might unto Him.
“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:8-9
I pray that as I am made more like Christ, my children will be pointed to Christ as they witness firsthand His unrelenting grace in purifying a people for Himself. So, in conclusion, I would say that you can point your preschoolers to Jesus as you point yourself to Jesus.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Melanie is from California. She’s married to Jeremy, who is a pastor in the Golden State. Together they’re raising three photogenic children (Miah, Ellie and Bethan) with another on the way. Mel’s welcoming smile is indicative of her joyful hospitality. Mel is crazy about seafood, but she finds particular delight in meditating on God’s word as it applies to discipling her children.
Other posts in the Pointing Preschoolers to Jesus series:
Practicing hospitality reminds me of Jesus, Gloria Furman
Deficiency in creativity is not a mother’s greatest problem, Jessica Thompson
Bored and unproductive moms are still loved by God, Kimm Crandall
Cheerful simplicity and intentionality with preschoolers, Trillia Newbell
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
“Praise God my children’s salvation depends on the Lord and it doesn’t depend on me being fun!”
Ain’t that the truth, Melanie! Mine are grown now, and it would have been exhausting raising them up if I thought their spiritual success depended on me getting everything right.
Tim