Wandering Through WorldWonder: Chapter 6

 

In Chapter 6 Mica begins to feel comfortable in her newly discovered independence. She meets a new friend and is willing to go exploring with him a little. She also discovers a doorway that leads into the unknown. These are representative of the important milestones we look for in our own kids’ development. 

If your child is the kind of kid who would hide behind your leg and cling to you with desperate fear whenever someone said hello, then perhaps you can appreciate at a deeper level the victory being illustrated in Mica’s progress.  

It is not our job as parents to turn our kids into our expectation for them, but instead through prayer and a personal devotion to God we hope to understand who He has made them to be and steward their experiences the best we can to lead them toward His expectations for them. I hope this chapter serves you as a parent as you lead your child(ren) toward independence, adventure, and reliance on God. 

We all need to have the courage to step into the unknown, and just like Mica, we are often blocked from pursuing growth and progress by some steps we need to learn how to climb. As a fun way of illustrating this principle, consider recreating the game we played in chapel this week with your kids, WHAT’S IN THE BOX? 

Here’s what the kids experienced in Chapel this week: a few kids were invited to play a game called, “What’s in the Box?” There were three boxes covered with clothes with holes in them. Without peaking they had to reach their hand into the box and feel what was in the bowl.  

If they did not guess correctly, they were awarded a prize for their courage. If they were able to guess what was in the box, they were given a reward for their courage, and a second reward for their accurate guess.  

It was a simple illustration used to demonstrate the need for courage. Like Mica, our kids need to trust God. This idea is found in our verse for the year, Psalm 86:11, “Teach me your way, LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name.” Written into this verse is the need for faith in God. Faith, as defined in Hebrews 11, is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we cannot see. We cannot have faith without being willing to reach out and trust him. 

It’s difficult to let go of the comfort of what’s known and reach out into the unknown, but the growth we need and the growth we need for our kids will be found in faith.