My son has re-taken to a basketball video game lately. When he was younger, I would play with him, and would actually turn his team to “computer controlled” letting him think he was playing. When he got older I’d let him play, but he couldn’t quite master the controls. So, I’d intentionally pull defensive players away from him letting him score, making sure I let him win. So you can imagine my surprise when I played him recently.
The boy is good! I have now played him 3 times. And, each game, he beat me. This is nothing new for us, except for the fact that I was trying. I was trying hard! Suddenly he gets it. The buttons and combinations all make sense. He is driving past my defense, making reverse shots and throwing alley-oops. Despite my best efforts, I cannot beat him. He’s taken the little bit of control I slowly gave him and turned it into incredible talent. He was learning when I wasn’t aware of it!
Kids are amazing like that. They learn so quickly, even when we think they aren’t. As Christian parents, we should take this to heart. Often, when we don’t think we are teaching, even when we think their “controls are turned off”, kids are actually in the game, soaking everything in.
We’re always to be teaching our kids. Because, they are ALWAYS learning. So, we must be on guard. They are going to learn whatever they see. Just because you may not be sitting over a Bible, every second with our kids is a chance to teach them God’s ways. Every word and decision is a chance to show them Jesus.
And here’s the deal: they will be “playing on their own” before we know it. These kids are sharp! Go sit in any Sunday school class or youth group lesson and see if you aren’t amazed with the knowledge you will experience! Our children will grow in faith in accordance to what “game” we constantly put them in. They will be “controlling their own team” before we know it. Which team they play on largely depends on which team we showed them when we thought they were not looking! We are called to bring our kids up “in the training and instruction of the Lord”, in all that we do. It’s a big task. I pray we are up to it!
Oh and Jude......no more alley oops from Parker to Duncan!
