by Guest blogger: Family Ministries Director Sarah Dascenzo

I never cease to be amazed by kids. One moment I’m expecting my children to act like adults and the next I believe they’re not cable of handling certain concepts. I think some spiritual directives are too difficult for my children to understand. Inevitably, God seems to consistently use the lives of my children to teach me those very lessons.

Here’s a perfect example that recently happened. You might remember Pastor Jerry opening the November sermon series with a message titled “Qualified to Multiply.” He challenged the congregation to a fast. My 11 and 9-year-old children happened to be in the service that day. In my mind, this didn’t seem like an ideal message for them since it might be difficult for them to process the concept and apply it to their life.

To my surprise, they came home talking about what they were going to fast. The decision had already been made as far as they were concerned. My 9 year old looked at me and said, “We shouldn’t fast meals, right?” with a hint of hoping in his voice. The sigh of relief was almost audible when I confirmed that probably wouldn’t be wise. They settled on age-appropriate fasts, and we began a dialog of why we fast anyway.

This conversation brought about a search in the scripture for examples of fasting and the different purposes that a fast may have (Esther 4:3; Isaiah 58:6: Matthew 4:2; Luke 2:37; Acts 13:2). I’m so grateful for the inquisitive spirit in children! I tend to just go along with what’s happening without searching the scripture and finding out what God has to say to me about it.

Here we are, just a few days from completing the fast, and everyday has provided an opportunity to remember why we’re fasting. In some ways, I’m sad to close the spiritual dialog with my kids about fasting, but I look forward to the next lesson God’s going to teach us. I’m so grateful God doesn’t make a relationship with Him complicated. With child-like faith we get a chance to know who He is and what He has for our lives.

Matthew 18:3 puts it simply, “And he (Jesus) said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”