As a church, we’re really only one full week into our Season of Seeking Him, but those of you doing the study and Bible Quest before you hear the sermon will be looking for Week 3 starting tomorrow.  So, here it is!

Seeking Him for Kids – Week 3

I know God is at work in our church – I can see it in our leadership and the people I interact with.  I know He is at work in me – to be honest, there were times this week I was feeling emotionally winded from all the things God is working with me on.  I also have great desire to see God at work in our kids… in my kids!

How do we keep track of the spiritual state of our kids’ hearts? Weekly (or daily) evaluation of their behavior?  Their willingness to pray at dinner or bedtime?  Making sure they have the right answers on their Bible Quest? Pushing them to have the most verses memorized? Conversations about what Christ is doing in my life and theirs?  If you’re wondering when I’m going to give you the right answer, it’s not going to happen.

I can in no way for sure know the state of my daughter’s heart, but I can see the fruit and the work of the Holy Spirit.  He is moving in my daughter and speaking to her heart and it is amazing!  More and more these days I find myself asking, “What am I teaching her?” In words to her, to myself, to my husband, to God, to the annoying driver in front of me…I am teaching her.  In my actions towards her, my husband, others… I am teaching her.

This week my 7-year-old said something that floored me – and she said it twice!  Sunday morning in church, she was trying to figure out what to do during our time of worship and personal reflection.  I suggested to her that she should do what the adults were doing and listen to what God had to say to her.  The whiny, defiant response back was, “But, Mom, I’m just a kid!”  Ack!  Where did she learn that?  I took that moment to tell her the same Jesus that lives in my heart lives in hers, too, and she can hear Him.  She came away from that service with some very awesome notes of encouragement written to friends as well as some truths about her and God written and drawn in pictures.  These were things not said from the pulpit or by the worship leader.  I haven’t told her this yet, but I am convinced that was the Lord speaking to her heart.

Later in the week, we were trying to work through some hurt feelings she had, but there was so much fit throwing, it was hard to get anywhere.  I again encouraged her to ask God to search her heart (Psalm 139) and He would show her what was going on.  Again, she reacted harshly with the words, “But, Mom, I can’t! I’m just a kid!”  I again said, “No! God can speak to you.”  There was a continuation of the emotional upheaval she had been displaying and then it just stopped.  She said in a calm voice, “Oh Mom, I didn’t know what it was before, but now I do.  I am angry because I haven’t forgiven those kids.”  I don’t know if I could count on one hand the number of adults I’ve heard say something like that. WOW! I was stunned, amazed, thankful, in shock, speechless, crying, … you get the picture.  We prayed later that night to forgive those who had hurt her.  Then she prayed and asked Jesus forgiveness for yelling at me in anger (her words, not mine).  Now I was asking, where did she learn this stuff?? And how do I encourage it?  I’m not sure.  I know I don’t remember teaching it.  But, I do know one thing for sure:

My daughter, who is “just a kid”, was spoken to by the living God.

I don’t know where she got the lie that because she’s a kid, she can’t hear from God. But, we’re breaking through that with truth!

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.        ~ 1 Timothy 4:12

I am now praying that God would give me a heart of forgiveness like He has given my daughter.  I’m praying that for our whole church.  And this is just the first week!  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for our church and our families!  I’m holding onto His promise that those who seek will find!

Tomorrow, our pastor will be preaching on the first week of our Season of Seeking Him study.

In our family, we are choosing to do the study during the week in preparation for Sunday’s sermon and Sunday school classes.

So this week, my husband and I did the studies each morning from the first chapter of the book (Revival), and our 7-year-old worked on her Bible Quest.  I’m anticipating the Lord using this in our lives to unify us as a family and draw us closer to Him.  It’s not like He’s hiding from us as we seek Him.  He wants to be found!  The Bible promises that those who seek will find.  So, we’re counting on our faithful God who keeps His promises.

As we have been preparing for this series, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to do the fasting as a family.  My husband and I have talked about what we want to do personally, but I think it will be important to prep our kids for what’s ahead.

I’ve been thinking in particular of the electronic media fast that coming up the first week of September.  Considering we are a family who tend to fill our days with e-mail, youtube, facebook, xBox, Netflix, Wii, blogging, computer games, smart phones, etc., etc., etc….. it’s probably safe to bet cutting out all of that will be a huge shock for my kids (not to mention me!).  I know that it will be important for them to understand this is a time to look for God, not sit and pout because we can’t play Lego Star Wars.  Have any of you had success with this?  What has worked? What hasn’t?

Join me in praying for the Lord to not only reveal Himself to us during the next 3 months, but also to our kids!

Here is the kids’ study for Week 2 – Seeking Him.

Our church is about to embark on a 12 week journey towards personal revival.

We feel that it is so important for families to do this together.  So, while the adults and teens in our church will be going through the workbook Seeking Him by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Tim Grissom, our Faith Quest team has written a weekly study for kids (aimed at grades 2-6, but anyone can do it!).

This is the first installment.  Look for a new one each week!

Seeking Him – Week 1

Each week’s study will also be available on our Bible Quest page.  I can’t wait to see what God has in store for each of us, our families and our church.