The First Time I Shared Jesus with a Child…(Part 1)
I have been a faithful church attendee since I was two months old, became a follower of Christ at four years old, attended Christian Elementary School, led Bible studies, and on and on. BUT, the first time I had the opportunity to talk to a child about salvation, I was a mess.
I have been a faithful church attendee since I was two months old, became a follower of Christ at four years old, attended Christian Elementary School, led Bible studies, and on and on. BUT, the first time I had the opportunity to talk to a child about salvation, I was a mess.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning. The sun was shinning, birds were chirping…just kidding. I really don’t remember much about that day except being so nervous, excited and totally overwhelmed that I literally burst into tears and barely regained enough composure to actually share the gospel.This precious eight year old girl was looking to me for spiritual guidance and I blubber in her face. Somehow, by the grace of God, she made sense of my blubbering and accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. Proof that God has the power to work through anyone who is willing to be used by Him.
There are three important takeaways from this story.
1. Take time to Pray and Breath! I was a bit caught off guard when this mother asked me to talk to her child. It had been while since I shared my faith with a child and even then, it was in casual conversations with my son in our daily routines.
I was overwhelmed at the thought of being a spiritual guide (if you will) for someone else’s child. What if I messed up! What if I forgot a portion and kept her from really understanding what it means to trust Jesus as your Savior? On the other hand, I was also excited for the opportunity to be part of such an important life decision for this precious child. Whew! See why I was a total mess? I wish now that I had thought to stop, breath and pray. Instead, I launched straight into sharing-hyperventilating, crying and no doubt talking a mile a minute. Praise God for His mercy!
2. Take inventory of what you know! This is actually my number one for life in general. If you are unclear in your knowledge of the gospel, then you are in danger of passing on faulty information. (I will share more about this in part two)
3. Be Prepared! As you can see from my first experience I wasn’t very prepared. I felt like I stammered through the whole thing trying to think of all the essentials that she would need to know to make an informed decision. Start right now thinking through how you can effectively relay these spiritual truths to a child. To help you, click the tab on my website labeled Salvation Message for Children. (I will cover in part three)
Thankfully, sharing the gospel gets easier with practice. God has provided many more opportunities to share the gospel with children and I have gleaned some valuable information which I am glad to share with you!
Feel free to share your experience. Have you shared the gospel yet? What was your first experience like? If you haven’t, what are some of your fears?
