We spend time with God as a family praying, reading the Bible, singing and dancing, taking Holy Communion and so on. I also, encourage my children to spend time with God by themselves. One day my daughter asked me why.
Why is it important for children to spend time with God by themselves?
I answered her questions with more questions:
Do you enjoy spending time with your family altogether?
The answer was, yes.
Do you enjoy spending time with just me?
The answer was, a more enthusiastic yes.
I followed up with more questions such as: Are these the same? What's different about them? The responses led to a short but insightful conversation.
By using our mother-daughter relationship as an Example, I was able to help her see that spending time with God by herself was an important part of developing her personal relationship with Him. She could understand that God enjoyed spending time with her and personal time with God develops intimacy and sharing that would not occur otherwise.
Spending time with God by themselves can help children begin to trust they can hear from God who speaks to them. They also begin to build a discipline that will hold them in good stead through all ages and stages of life.
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