It's Never Too Early or Too Late!

Kamp season—my favorite time of the year—is now in full swing here at Kanakuk. Our camps spread throughout the Branson area are overflowing with excited kids, dedicated counselors and amazing support staff who labor joyously behind the scenes. The greatest part of my job is to see kids truly begin to follow Christ and surrender their hearts to Jesus and His Word.

But whether or not your kids are spending part of their summer with us here at Kanakuk, I hope you’ll agree with me that it’s never too early or too late to start teaching them about God and how much He loves them.

How well I remember one bedtime when I was beside my younger son, Cooper, in his lower bunk for our lay-by time. It was the night before his third birthday. “Cooper,” I said, “tomorrow’s your birthday, and you’ll be three years old.” I showed him how to put his three chubby fingers up to announce his age when asked.

His nine-year-old sister, Jamie, was listening from the top bunk. She broke into our conversation to announce, “Cooper, now that you’re three, it’s time you became a Christian.”

This will be interesting, I thought. I held my breath and listened curiously as she went on with a child’s simplicity.

“You see, Cooper,” she said, “to become a Christian, you’ve gotta ask Jesus into your heart.”

“Umm,” Cooper responded. He always soaked in every word his sister said. My, how he admired that girl!

“Cooper, do you want to become a Christian?” she asked.

“Uh huh.”

“Okay, you pray this after me.”

Phrase by phrase, Jamie led Cooper through the simple prayer of salvation that she and I had prayed together years before. And though he renewed his commitment and asked me to baptize him in the lake when he was 11, Cooper still points to his third birthday as the day his walk with God began.

Tender little sprouts pop up in homes where the soil is rich and cultivated daily.

The soil is fertilized with prayer and tilled with a never-ending sea of encouragement. Weeds are kept from choking the tender sprouts by consistent and firm (not harsh) discipline, and never-ending strict regulation of TVs, iPhone, iPad, computers, music, etc.

The earliest days are loaded with prayer. I once came across the following wise thoughts on prayer. They concisely teach good parents what to do with their minds while their hands are changing diapers, combing hair, putting a child’s school clothes in the laundry, or waiting for a teenager to come in at night.

• Pray that nothing will hinder your children from accepting Christ as their personal Savior early in life (see Matthew 18:6; 19:14).

• Pray that your children will learn to know their God, the true and living God, and will have a deep desire to do His will for their lives (see Psalm 119:27, 30, 34-35).

• Pray that as your kids hear passages from the Bible, a genuine love for God and His Word will become such a part of their lives that it will be the basis for all their decision making in the future (see Psalm 71:17; Ecclesiastes 12:1; 2 Timothy 3:15).

• Pray that your children will develop a keen sense of what’s right and wrong—that they will truly abhor evil and cling to what’s good (see Psalm 51:10; 139:23-24; Romans 12:9).

• Pray that your kids will increase in wisdom mentally, in stature physically, with man socially, and in favor with God spiritually (see Luke 2:52). This prayer covers children’s development to their full potential.

• Pray that your children will develop a thankful heart and a fine, confident mental attitude (see Psalm 126:2-3; Romans 8:31).

• Pray that God will protect your kids from Satan and his wiles in every area of their lives (see Psalm 121:8; John 17:15).

• Pray that God will destroy the enemies in your children’s lives, whatever they may be—weaknesses, lying, selfishness, disobedience, and so on (see Psalm 120:2; Philippians 2:4).

• Pray that God will make your kids successful in the work He has planned for them to do (see Psalm 118:25; 139:9-10).

• Pray that your children will have a strong sense of belonging to a family that is loving and dwells together in unity (see Psalm 133; Colossians 3:12-14).

• Pray that your kids will respect those in authority over them (see Romans 13:1; Ephesians 6:1-4).

• Pray that their entire lives will be a testimony to the greatness and love of Jesus Christ (see Philippians 2:15-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

In addition, pray that your kids:

• will be caught when guilty
• will desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong kind
• will be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one
• will, along with those they wed, be kept from sexual sin

It’s never too early to start praying these prayers, fertilizing the soil in which seeds of faith can take root and grow. It’s also never too late.

What a privilege it is to participate with God in the development of a child. And what a highlight of your life it will be when your child says “yes” to the love and grace of our heavenly Father.