Chat & Catch

We are continuing with our theme of how we can help our children connect with God. Today we are looking at ‘chat and catch’. The greatest gift we can give our children is the confidence and ability to share their thoughts and emotions with God and catch what He is communicating back to them in everyday life.

Chatting is a natural, free-flowing two-way conversation and something they can easily understand.

Encourage your children to chat to God about whatever they like; how their day has been, their favourite colour, what they are worried about.

Try to avoid a ‘High Priest’ role of doing it for them. Instead be their coach so their relationship with God is not dependant on you.

Model chatting to God out loud so your children can learn how you talk to God. Perhaps in the car while driving and you see an accident – ‘Oh God please take care of that person’

Catching is showing our children how to be prepared and expectant with their whole bodies to receive from God. Perhaps think about how you hear from God.

There are many different ways God speaks to us: -

With our skin – something in our bodies that knows God’s in the room

With our mind – ‘visions’, verses, thoughts, pictures

In our dreams – God talks to children a lot through dreams

With our heart / guts – something you know to be true in your heart – a deep impression of something

With our emotions – sense of peace, joy, love or get riled by His heart for justice

With our eyes and ears – seeing a picture or hearing His voice

It takes practice so encourage them to keep going back and chatting to God. You will need to help them to start with but then allow them to do it on their own. You can encourage them to tell you about it. As we know, not everything that pops into our heads is from God, so we can teach them about discernment – does it line up with what we know about God from the Bible?

We’re all on this journey together and we can encourage our children as they learn to recognise God’s voice in their lives in all the different ways.

For more details do take a look at www.paretningforfaith.org.uk

God bless you

Love Caroline