At first, the ideas of “imagination” and “missions” might seem at odds with each other.
“Imagination” is built on day-dreaming.
A childhood fantasyland about someplace that doesn’t exist.
Imagination is something made up.
“Missions” is built on hard reality.
A posture takes the good news of Jesus into a dark world of sin.
Missions is something true.
But I think “imagination” and “mission” are more related than we might think.
Here’s what I mean:
When your kids are engaged, they ask questions. Sometimes those questions can seem a little goofy to adults. If your kids don’t occasionally interrupt with goofy questions, you might be doing something wrong.
They’re asking questions because they’re learning.
They’re latching on to truth.
When your kids ask questions, don’t ignore them.
Don’t just say, “I don’t know.”
Or worse, “Why does that matter?”
Instead, answer their questions with a question. By turning the conversation around, you don’t feel the pressure to be the answer-person, and you are engaging their imagination and allowing them to imagine themselves in a faraway place with people they’ve never met.
When they ask, “It is cold in Russia?” invite them into the learning process by turning the question around:
Do you think it’s cold in Russia?
What would people wear when it’s cold?
Can we learn about that together?
Let your conversation stretch their imaginations.
Here’s the point: Kids will only ask larger, life-defining questions about God after they learned that other questions are safe.
Their questions about temperature, music, food, or seemingly isolated details are the doorways for children to feel free to ask some very tough questions about God and their place in His world.
This post is part of a seven-part series from Brian’s Rhodes’ book 11 Ways to Give Your Kids a Heart for the Nations. To check out the full book, click here. We’ll continue to highlight Brian’s content through March as part of our 60-in-60 campaign. We hope you enjoy it!
