Young examples

My daughter and I were recently reading her Bible. She has an Adventure Bible that has some really interesting features. We were reading 1 Timothy 4:12 and she didn't understand a word of it. Here's the verse:

"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity."

Kids are funny creatures. I get such a kick out of how they see the world. She had the funniest ideas about what these things mean. I broke it down for her one line at a time, with a little help from the notes in her Bible. The writers included a box at the bottom of the page to explain this verse to kids. Apparently this is universally tough to grasp for young ones. They suggested young people make a Pledge Poster naming ways they can be Christian examples:

I will be an example.
In speech, I will not gossip or swear.
In life, I will do what pleases God.
In love, I will care about others.
In faith, I will pray and trust God.
In purity, I will choose what is right.

We used this template and came up with even more ideas. We expanded on the original ideas, too. What exactly pleases God? How do we trust God? What is right and what is wrong? How do you know for sure? How can we NOT gossip? It sparked a great conversation that I hope to return to. I challenge you to do this with your kiddos and post is somewhere so you can go back to it over and over again. My daughter felt like a million bucks thinking there was something she could be doing to please God and be an example to others.

Be lifted!