The faith of a veggie
Since this is Good Friday, with Easter on Sunday, I’ve been reflecting on my own beliefs, and what exactly I’m trying to impart to the Munchkin.
If you haven’t gathered it by now, let me just state for the record that the Webmaster and I are Christians, we are pretty conservative, and we attend church weekly. Okay, well, more than weekly. I mean, we’re there on Sunday morning, I’m there on Tuesday morning for women’s Bible study, we’re both there on Wednesday evenings (him to help in youth group, me teaching pre-schoolers), and the Webmaster has choir rehearsal on Thursday evenings. And we have a Good Friday service today.
Recently, there’s been a lot of chatter in the media about the “Gospel of Judas” and a whole bunch of other stuff – ABC even re-made “The Ten Commandments”. I have no time to pay attention to any of it. I’m trying to potty-train a kid here!
But all of the recent media attention to the Gospels, plus this being Holy Week, has made me think about what we are teaching the Munchkin (and eventually, Baby Boy). Because she is only 2, we are setting very simple tenets of faith in front of her. And a lot of Veggie Tales. The main theme of Veggie Tales is that “God made you special, and He loves you very much.” Plain and simple. Kids can understand that. It doesn’t take a theological degree, reading Hebrew, or understanding the finer points of Roman history to accept that much. What child doesn’t want to believe that they are special and that God loves them?
So, that’s where we’re starting. Besides the fact that the Munchkin can belt out tunes like “Bellybutton” and “Sports Utility Vehicle,” she’s getting a basic understanding of Biblical truths, even at her age. They may not sink in until she’s a bit older, but we are building a foundation for her.
We also pray with her every night. The Webmaster and I take turns reading to her the story of her choosing at bedtime, and then praying with her before the lights go out and she goes to sleep (after asking for her music/to go to the potty/where her teddy bear is for the hundredth time). Sometimes, he’s not home before bedtime and I do it. Sometimes, I need to nurse her brother and he does it. Sometimes we flip a coin to see who gets which kid. Regardless, we both do this with her. The Webmaster prefers the traditional “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer, which I have no problem with, but I tend to opt for the more conversational prayers – “Dear Jesus, thank you for…” We both remember to pray for family – our own immediate family, both sets of grandparents, her aunts and uncles and cousins, with a special emphasis on my brother, the Captain, in Iraq – because we feel that it’s important for her to know how to pray for others.
These are just simple things that we do. I don’t plan on letting Veggie Tales be the total basis of her religious understanding. I do think it’s a healthy start, as well as our short little prayers with her at night. She’s only two. More will come in time.
On this weekend, when the Easter miracle is remembered and celebrated, may we all remember that God made us special and loves us very much.
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