Teaching "The Holy Spirit" To A Third Grader
My dad has always said that if you can’t teach a certain concept to a 3rd grader, then you don’t really get it yourself. Well thankfully I have a third grader!
Malia (9) had a bad dream last night. As I was laying there with her, wiping her tears with her comforter, it hit me. Or should I say, a new reality of Him hit me.
As a dad, I am always looking for ways to introduce my kids to a bigger picture of God and His active presence in our everyday lives (ie. the 10000MINUTES of our week :). Well, there was an opportunity.
In John 14, 15, and 16, Jesus talks of a Helper, Counselor, Advocate, Encourager, COMFORTER that will be with us forever (hint: Holy Spirit). The Greek word used is parakletos which means “one called to the side of another”.
So when I was reminding Malia about the nearness of God and wiping her tears with her comforter, the reality, the nearness of God With Us hit us both. The mysteriously obscure concept of the Holy Spirit of God became tangible. Think about the comforter on your bed. It protects us from the cold, wraps us up, fosters rest and peace, and reminds us of where home is.
The Holy Spirit is a comforter around our heart, mind and soul. To have the Holy Spirit as our Paraclete is to have God Himself living in and among us. What if it’s true today? What if we lived like it was true in the 10000MINUTES of our week?