The Faith of a Child

Liam's singing while putting puzzles together.  The worlds include the phrases, "Tell me what you like about me.  I really want you to love me.  This is what I want you to do.  I really want you to do this with me.  This is what I love, what I really love best."

Today I have been reminded that I should be careful about getting my theology from the internet.  (So read on at your own risk.)  First I read a devotional, posted by a friend to Facebook talking about the third chapter of Romans which teaches us that we all fall short of God's righteousness and need to receive His forgiveness.   No problem.  This is an idea that I grew up with and it doesn't jangle my nerves. 

But then I read this quote from another mom - posted in a group created for moms to share about challenges of parenting and to ask questions and share information and solutions:  "My son is 4 and lies alot as well, I believe its to keep him out of trouble... So I've been teachin him that no matter what he has done if he tells the truth he won't get in trouble, there will always be consequences for his actions but no "punishment" I also tell him that Jesus doesn't like him to lie and it hurts his heart and makes Him very sad because he knows [my son] is a good boy and good boys don't lie."

Wow!  That's a lot of theology in one guilt-inducing statement.  It really got me thinking.  What is my purpose in trying to mold my child's behavior?  How does God feel when He sees a young child act in ways that are contrary to the moral ideals that are set out for us in scripture?  How does He feel when I "fall short" of his righteousness in my actions - even though my faith has declared me "justified" in his eyes?

James 2:20 tells us that in spite of the fact that we are saved by faith, "faith without works is useless."  (NASB)  But from the context I would say that this teaches that true faith will result in actions that are consistent with what God wants us to do - not that our actions demonstrate to God that we are "good."  The idea I see is that we can't compartmentalize what we believe - separate it from our actions.

Even the most sincere believer, though, sometimes "fails" to live up to the standards set out in scripture.  After all, part of God's purpose in spelling out His righteousness is to impress on us that we can't live up to it on our own.  So is God watching my behavior, responding with sadness and disappointment when I fall short?  Or does He see the righteousness of Christ when He looks at me - secure in the knowledge that when my sanctification is complete I will reflect his image perfectly?

And back to the parenting question, how do I represent God to my child?  Maybe the mother who shared this is more certain of the faith of her child than I am of mine.  We read Bible stories to Liam and talk to him about what they mean.  We pray with him every day and go to church with him regularly.  We try to answer his questions about how God can be everywhere and invisible at the same time.  

But I don't know if he understands concepts like righteousness and sin.  I find that I tend to tread lightly when it comes to telling him what God expects of him or how the Bible describes "good" behavior.  I believe that following God's standards of behavior will benefit anyone - the wisdom on Proverbs, for example, can be applied to many of life's experiences.  But I don't want him to develop an externalized, behavior-based idea about how we relate to God.  I'd rather that he think about God in terms of the song he sang this morning - someone he loves and is loved by.  Someone he wants to do his favorite puzzles with.