Sitting in Church with Kids: Faith is Like Bubble Wrap

I have a little boy who climbs the fridge shelves. He rides his bike over landscape rocks and down the front steps. He scales every mountain boulder he sees, asking half way up if this particular one has rattlesnakes. If there is a rickety vintage metal slide around, you will find him leaning out from the top. He is also my child with a history of seizures, so I worry a bit. I realize he needs some independence - but some days, I don’t know if this mama’s heart can take just letting him go go go.

I think about purchasing any safety gear I can lay my hands on. I even have a trick for getting him to wear a helmet when he summits Mt. Playground. We ride our bikes to the park, and he dashes to the top so fast, he forgets to leave the helmet behind. If it was safe and practical, I’d just wrap him up in bubble wrap to keep him from breaking.

Faith is like bubble wrap. Even better, faith is a shield. Mamas, we keep bringing our kids to church so they are equipped to take on a world we wish we could protect them from. We can’t single-handedly shield them from all pain, but we can take them to the one who is their strength in all trouble. The Lord outfits our children with helmets, shields, breastplates, strength, and readiness. Let's keep our little ones in God's Word. Let's keep bringing our kids to Jesus, and let them be outfitted with the armor of God. At the end of this earth's journey, they will enjoy Jesus' gift of freedom and life without fear - in heaven.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…. so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  Ephesians 6:10-17

Thanks for joining us for our Sitting in Church with Kids series and for sharing your thoughts and stories.

For further reading about kids in church, take a look at our other posts in this series –

Sitting in Church with Kids: When We Feel All Eyes Are On Us

Sitting in Church with Kids: 5 Ways to Help the Single Parent

Sitting in Church with Kids: 10 Church Bag Ideas

Sitting in Church with Kids: When There Is No Nursery