By Brenda Cannon Henley
Teaching various ages of children for many years in Sunday school and children’s churches, I have heard some funny comments and questions. Art Linkletter had it right when he coined the phrase, “Kids say the darndest things.” They really do! And, they believe them to be correct. By the way, Linkletter made a fortune over his discovery.

I taught 1 Thessalonians 5:17 one morning to my Sunday school class of children. It is a simple verse, but one with great meaning and something we all should know. I labored long and hard coming up with good illustrations and even some hands on activities to help the boys and girls understand the Scripture — or so I thought. They children listened well and I felt good about the lesson. The pastor’s young son was one of my students.

On Monday morning the pastor called me into his big office and said, “What was your lesson about on Sunday?” I thought it was just conversation at the moment, and I answered, “I taught on prayer and the importance of being in an attitude of prayer all of the time.” He said, “Really?” I said, “Yes, I did. I trust the children learned.” He laughed and said, “Well, Tony told us at lunch that you taught the class to, “Pray without any sense.” The verse actually teaches Christians to “pray without ceasing.” Needless to say, I learned my lesson of being very sure the students were getting what I was teaching. It took me quite a while to get over that one.

Another instance that stands out in my mind concerns a little girl named Bonnie who rode our church buses to Sunday school from a very rough housing project in Atlanta. Bonnie was an attentive student and seemed to hang on every word I taught. She came forward one Sunday morning at the invitation and our trained counselors met each child, took them into a private room and answered their questions, taught them Scripture, and listened to their concerns. Every counseling session ended with prayer and the name and address of the child recorded so that a parental visit could be made that week in the home.

About two weeks passed after Bonnie came forward. I was standing on the parking lot of the church greeting kids and adults when an energetic and enthused Bonnie came bounding toward me. She opened her mouth really wide and said, “See, Miss Brenda, see.” I looked and looked, and for the life of me, I could not figure out what I was to be seeing. I recognized that it was important to Bonnie and I thought perhaps she had lost a tooth, but since she was pointing more to the back of her mouth, I decided she must have gone to the dentist perhaps for the very first time. I could see no new fillings and I saw no holes where teeth had been.

Not wanting to disappoint my young student and knowing in my heart that it was very serious that I respond well, I turned the conversation just a bit and asked her about her decision to trust Christ. She answered, “That’s what I am trying to tell you, Miss Brenda. You remember I asked Jesus into my heart, and He is still there.” Young Bonnie believed that the fact that because she had prayed, received counseling, and asked Jesus to be her Saviour, that I should clearly be able to see Him in her heart.

Boy, did I ever learn a lesson that day. Children hear what we say, they take those words literally, and they expect you to do the same. Bonnie’s declaration caused me to become a better teacher and a better parent. We must be very careful as adults when we speak to children or even our peers that we are sure we are saying what they are hearing or that we take the time to clarify and explain as often as necessary. I have found in visiting churches that different faiths, different speakers, and certainly different writers use a multiplicity of words to mean the same thing. We assume that because we know what we are saying that our hearers do also.

One counselor may say, “Trust Christ,” while another might say, “Ask Jesus into your heart,” while yet another may encourage people to “Make a decision for Christ.” All virtually mean the same thing, but are simply phrased differently. Let’s be clear about the Gospel message to all ages.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788 or at
[email protected]

Contact Brenda Cannon Henley:
[contact-form-7 404 "Not Found"]