We love '....and they lived happily ever after'....
But -that won't do unless it began with 'Once upon a time'... which makes it real, concrete, believable -- because -- it apparently really happened before!
Do our lives have a 'Once upon a time' too?
Yes it does!
Perhaps this is why we connect with the stories and long for the logical conclusion: the bad guy is extinguished and the good guy wins and saves the gal; and they live happily ever after!
Sounds like heaven to me! {Jesus comes and vanquish his enemies and win His bride the church}.
Except --
to a temperamental teen and a distracted boy, heaven feels more real when the teen gets to whatsapp furiously with friends, while the eight year old gets to play without a care for time or chore with his Lego pieces.
This is where Genesis comes in.
I dream of perfection and highest joys with them. I remind them that heaven is very real, and is the longing of our hearts because right there in Genesis chapter 1 we had it. It was great.
But we messed it up. So now we feed on counterfeits and can grow callous and insensitive to the real deal.
This basic truth is so essential and foundation to parenting children (of the utero or spiritual kind). Genesis sets the stage for us to understand so much. Like they say, "if you don't know where you came from, you're likely going to lose your way".
The creation of humankind is our background story. It explains our glories, longings, possibilities and the very real threats and angst we feel. It can be taught simply to smaller kids and used with great drama with teens!
Take this conversation for example -
son : I'll be so happy if I don't have to work, but everything is work..even playing!
me : well, God created us to work!
son : {looks at me}
me : Do you remember why? (i whip out my phone and read}
let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our natureSee, it is part of God's plan that we work. It's good for us!
so they can be ressponsible for the fish...and yes, Earth itself.. {read with drama of course}
But you remember what happened right? {i remind him of the Original Sin and continue reading}
"the very ground is cursed because of you;God created us to work, to take care of everything. Sin has made the work much harder. This is why we find it so tough; and we are tempted to become lazy.
getting food from the ground will be painful..
the ground will sprout thorns and weeds.."
But this is the beginning right? What happens later?
son: Jesus dies for us.
me : That's right! Now,you have the Holy Spirit within you. Jesus lives within you ..and listen carefully to this:
"do your best, work from the heart for your real master for God.."
This is the picture we parents want to avoid:
Helping our children embrace life involves helping them to see a huge part of life correctly: work.
Hopefully, our own view is sound too.
Genesis, the book of beginnings -
sets us straight, inspires us, and reminds us of why we need a Saviour.
throws us back to depend on the sweet Spirit to guide and empower us.
opens our eyes to the First Person of the Godhead, the only real Power there is, and so -
sets us on the solid ground of reverence and awe, gratitude and godly fear.
It's a very good place to start!
