“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6)
The wisdom of Proverbs is that what we learn as children forms and shapes us for a life-time.
Our beliefs, our values, our likes and dislikes, our habits and routines, are powerfully shaped in the first years of life. We absorb them; we breathe them in.
We inherit from our parents more than genes. We inherit a way of looking at the world and a way of understanding ourselves within it. We may choose to depart from this early formation as we grow older, but that is not an easy path. Our attitudes harden, and often our attitudes towards anything with the word ‘God’ in it became cynical and dismissive rather than curious and open.
Christian parents are given a few short years to model to growing children what a life of following Christ looks like. A few short years. More than anything else it requires of them a positive and active faith in Jesus that their children can absorb. ‘God’, ‘church’, ‘Bible’ are to become life-giving experiences rather than religious duties. Combined with appropriate habits and boundaries, children are equipped to be the people of God they were called to be.
One of the privileges we have as a Christian community is being able to influence the children of others, at their invitation. It is a lesser role, but important nonetheless. For many it may be their only opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus.
This is what takes place in the school environment through Christian Religious Education in schools. It is a trust we have been given, and which many parents assent to. We do not fulfil it lightly, recognising our role in these children’s lives is a very small one. Yet, despite what I’ve said above, it can be significant. I remember how a parent told me late last year how special the CRE time had been for their child.
May God help us to fulfil our mission and calling towards young lives today. For the sake of the children. “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14).