Let Them Be Little

I think it was an old country song that once said “Let Them Be Little”. We could really benefit to take this advice as Christians. One of the greatest attributes to the younger generations is their natural curiosity and desire for deeper knowledge. Sometimes, for a couple of reasons I will touch on, we do not harness that curiosity properly and we actually stifle it.

For starters, it could be due to way we were raised. We were brought up in church and we believed because our parents believed and because the Bible said so and that was good enough for us. We lived in a Christian society that never questioned those beliefs and we were able to harness our faith without asking the tough questions. Since we never had to ask the tough questions we are not prepared to answer them.

Maybe, now this might be tough to admit, we are afraid of the answers to these tough questions. Maybe we are afraid to find out some of the truths we have been raised to believe about God are not exactly true. Maybe we are afraid of having our own faith shaken by examining some of these questions.

Now, times have changed and the world/society is asking a lot more questions. Our young adults and youth are yearning for a deeper understanding and we are not providing it for them. In a recent podcast Andy Stanley said that we are equipping our youth with Sunday School answers to questions that require a deeper answer. Unfortunately, because the Bible says so is not always an effective answer. We have to prepare our kids to be able to explain why the Bible can be trusted. We have to help our youth understand why we believe that Jesus is who He said He was. We have to create in them a deeper biblical understanding.

As the saying goes, “Let them be little, they will only be that way for so long”; when left to their own thoughts and doubts our youth can and sometimes will create their own sense of what they believe. Curiosity will fade and their views will be skewed by their own imaginations and the world. They will have others telling them that the Bible is not literal and that God really did not do all this stuff. They will allow the world to influence their beliefs and will find an answer that makes sense to them. That is why many of our youth and young adults have so many misconceptions about the Bible and Christianity.

Lastly, we cannot be afraid of the world. I want to protect my 2 boys as long as I can but I cannot teach them about a world that does not exist. There are some out there that teach their kids that the world is just this dangerous place full of evil people and everyone that is not a Christian is bad. If you are a kid and that is the way you are raised then what happens when you get into the real world and meet some really good people who are not Christian and you realize that the world is not the doom and gloom your parents or church made it out to be. To quote a friend of mine who went through this as a faithful young adult: “In a nutshell, I was told the world and all the people in it were one way, and when I left home I saw something very different. This really messed with my trust, not only in my family, but in the faith I’d been told to follow. So, I would say if faith in God is the centering factor in your home and you want your kids to maintain it always, do not be afraid to let them ask questions and do not shield them from a world that might challenge them on their beliefs. Not doing so could prove very damaging”

In this sense we have to let them be little. Do not stifle the curiosity, do not be afraid of the answers to the tough questions, and do not leave them to find their own answers. Our youth and young adults need more and deserve more. Get into the Word and although you do not have to know all the answers knowing where to find them is a great start. I always recommend Lee Strobel for anyone who is looking for more information on why we can trust God and the Bible.