Keeping it Light

Every so often, I start to worry that I’m not cultivating wonder enough in our home. I start to think that if I don’t get this just right, I’m going to end up raising kids whose eyes glaze over anytime I try to point out something amazing.

But quite often, I find that God relieves my fears when I release all my dreams and expectations and just focus on being faithful and keeping things light. We read good books, keep a steady conversation going about God’s ways, and try to provide opportunities for our young ones to lift their eyes to Him and see His provision and goodness.

One of the fun games I play with my boys is something I call, “Single-Cell Organism”. It’s quite sarcastic and ridiculous, and it always results in at least one person doubling over, laughing their head off at the foolishness of it all.

It goes something like this:

Let’s say we’re out on a walk to the nearby pond.

Me:  Hey, look at this tree! I’m pretty sure this is an oak. Check out these leaves. (I’m being very casual here.) Isn’t it amazing that you and this oak and that duck and that bumblebee and the peonies in that lady’s yard all evolved from same single cell organism?

My kids: Yeah, so amazing!

Now, before you lose your mind over my apparent delight at the wonders of evolution, let me assure you that I’m being completely sarcastic and so are my kids. I believe wholeheartedly in six-day creation, because I believe the Bible lays this out clearly.

And I actually have no problem with making fun of evolution, because I believe this falls into the category of casting down arguments and lofty opinions that set themselves up against the knowledge of God. If I can do it joyfully and help my kids to lift their eyes in wonder to their intentional, purposeful, Creator God, then great!

Our family culture has adopted this so thoroughly that now, every time we cut up a pineapple, someone comes up with a mishmash of creatures to take note of.

Child: Hey mom, isn’t it amazing that the pineapple and me and a giraffe and the fish you’re eating for lunch all just happened to evolve from a big, random bang? Hahahaha!

See? It’s fun!

The enemy of our souls wants our kids to believe that they don’t need a Savior to free them from the bondage of sin. And he knows that if he can get them to stop believing that a purposeful God created the world by the word of His mouth, then he can get them to believe that man isn’t really sinful, the Bible isn’t really God’s word, and Jesus isn’t really a powerful Savior – at best, he’s just a nice man in a story. From the beginning, Satan’s m.o. has been to ask God’s people, “did God actually say?”

We don’t need to fear his tactics, though. We just need to take our lesson from Jesus, who faced Satan for us, and answered him with the Word. “And Jesus answered him, “It is written…” (Luke 4:4)

The rest of the “Single-Cell Organism” game is that we laugh and ask each other to remember on which day of creation God created this kind of creature. Keeping it light seems to be a very effective way to help my kids take their thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. We are given so many tools to help us search out God’s ways and His majesty in the world, and we do all of it for His glory and to the praise of His grace.

 

I’d love to hear from you! How are you sharing the wonder of God’s world with your family?

 

 

Update: The “Single-Cell Organism” game only works because my kids understand what the theory of evolution is, and why it’s opposed to a Christian view of six-day creation. There are a lot of resources for sharing the truth with your kids. A good first start is reading the Bible to them. We’ve been blessed by tools that help us through songs about God’s creation, and I’ve heard good things from friends who have used the Answers in Genesis site.