Spiritual development is just like other developmental patterns. A person moves along in a continuum, sometimes growing in leaps and bounds, sometimes remaining in one stage for a longer period. Like other developmental skills and stages, faith can and will atrophy if not used.
A mistake we often make with children is assuming that all kids think in the same way about God or that they are not yet ready to handle the muscle work of growing in faith. We teach our children all kinds of skills for their bodies and minds that they may (or may not) use later in life. We must teach about faith in the same way for the same reason.
Taking the faith development of our younger members seriously begins with taking their questions seriously. When a child asks a question, there is often a logical or scientific answer. You can provide that answer and still create space for theological wondering. There’s a wideness in God’s character that allows for speculation beyond what we can say for sure.
This message is excerpted from “Leading with questions” by Julia Seymour in the April 2015 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Toyohiko Kagawa, renewer of society, 1960.
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