Even at a young age, kids have to learn about the difference between good and evil. While it is easy to let children understand the concept of good, it's not that easy letting them figure out why evil exists in this world.
Writing for the Gospel Project, Christian mother Rachel Myrick says she recently purchased a book called "God's Design," which seeks to help parents explain to their kids about God's perfect design.
"I've been reading the passages and discussing God's design with my kindergartner, Gideon. Last night's passage was about how sin entered the world," she shares. "As I was reading about how the devil tricked Adam and Eve, Gideon sat up and asked, 'Mommy, what is that bad guy's name?' I said, 'The Bible calls him the devil. The devil does not love God, and because the devil does not love God, he does not love people. He wanted to mess up God's beautiful plan. But God is more powerful than the devil. There is no one like God.'"
But for Gideon, Adam and Eve needed to call the police so they can destroy the devil. "I could tell that my boy, who always wants the bad guys to face justice and the good guys to prevail, was really internalising this story. So I took a step back and talked with Gideon about where his fear was coming from," she says.
Myrick is happy that she got to share God's good news to her son. It's true that the devil is cunning and evil, but God already sent His Son Jesus Christ to rescue mankind from sin. Because of this, people will always have free access to salvation, she says.
She also shares the four foundations of God's sovereignity that she says must be established in the minds of preschoolers. The first of these is the fact that God is good, and He always does good things.
"God cannot do what is evil. Righteousness and holiness are quintessential truths of God's very nature," says Myrick. "When bad things happen, such as natural disasters or sudden tragedies, remind preschoolers that God did not make the earth to decay or people to get sick, but sin brought sickness and death to people and decay and destruction to God's world."
The second foundation is that God has a purpose for everything He has made, and nothing can stop His plans. Preschoolers must be taught that they can always trust God, and His plans always work out for the good of those who love Him.
The third foundation is that God sees, hears, and knows everything that happens to us, His people. "Throughout the Bible, God tells His prophets that He has seen how people suffer injustice, violence, and oppression. Encourage your preschoolers that they never have to be afraid to bring their sorrow to God," she says. "If a preschooler you teach is going through something awful, acknowledge the awfulness of it. Then pray, knowing that the living God is seeing and hearing and leaning in close during that awful time."
Lastly, preschoolers must be made aware of the crucifixion. Myrick says they don't need to get into the gory details about the crucifixion, but it's important to let them know that Jesus experienced suffering He did not deserve just to save mankind from sin. "Whatever heartaches we face on earth, preschoolers can know that Jesus experienced those heartaches, too. They can trust Jesus to understand and help them in their pain," she says.
