From the mouth and mind of a child

We all know as parents we have a responsibility to teach our children.  Prov 22:6 says, “⁶ Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

But let us also not forget that our children can (and often do) teach us as well.  Christ taught in Mt 18:2-3 that we are to become as little children, “² Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

I recently had the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation for this concept when listening to my 8 year old son say his prayers before bed time.  Below is his prayer as best I can remember:

Thank you God for all the things You have given us, even the bad stuff.  Thank you for the Church, the Bible, everything Lord.  Take away our sins if You think You should, You don’t have to.  Please help us to teach the baby only what is right.  We love You God and Jesus no matter what.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

What a great example.  Starting off his prayer by thanking God even for the bad things, then asking for forgiveness but only if God thinks He should, and finally reminding God and Jesus that he loves them no matter what.  Let us all take the opportunity to listen to our children and those children around us because we might just learn something.