This article is courtesy of HomeLife Magazine.
It happened almost every time we went downtown. Tucked within her stroller, our daughter Hannah would ride along contentedly until she spotted him. The smell often preceded the encounter. His soiled clothes, leathery complexion, and toothless grin in no way deterred her. Instead, Hannah's soft, chubby hand would extend beyond her blanket to say hello to the man who had no home.
Children often have a propensity toward compassionate living. Their small acts can inspire us to new and challenging heights. So how can we help foster such empathy and expand our children's view without overwhelming them? It starts closer to home than you might expect.
Foundations
Empowering Love
Social entrepreneur and author Ken Wystma founded The Justice Conference with the hope of impacting a generation for justice. As the father of four young girls, this globally minded leader believes the seeds of compassion take root in our own backyards.
"Our experience and fullness of love drives our ability to give love," Wystma reflects. "The greatest need children have, and ultimately the greatest determiner of whether they will truly have compassion for those less fortunate, is the degree of unconditional love they experience from Mom and Dad." Model for your children the words of 1 John 4:19: "We love because He first loved us."
Living in the Mundane
With the needs of society so pronounced, it's easy to feel as though you must steer your kids toward doing something radical. Not so, assures Wystma.
Instead, he suggests that to consistently teach your kids through everyday encounters, as Deuteronomy 6 encourages, that carry themes of grace, love, and kindness. "If we foster relational virtues on a daily basis and what justice looks like in the midst of being angry, feeling selfish, or being treated poorly," Wystma says, "then we've gone a long way in equipping them for living justly in a messy world as they mature."
Taking Action
Keeping these foundational elements in mind, parents have the opportunity to broaden their kids' perspectives in significant ways. In fact, there are plenty of opportunities close at hand.
Brown Bag Love
Gather the kids and make a plan for purchasing simple snacks that you can share with hungry people you encounter in your community. When shopping, select healthy non-perishable items (such as peanut butter crackers, trail mix, dried fruit, and granola bars). Be sure to pick up a case of bottled water, too.
Once you've purchased everything, form an assembly line at home and help your kids place the snacks in brown paper bags. Pray over these snacks, asking God to give your family new eyes to see the people and needs around you. Then load five or six bags in each of your cars (store the rest in your garage). Be prepared to make more U-turns than ever before as your kids begin spotting people in need.
Buy a Globe
It sounds simple, but purchasing a globe affords countless opportunities to enlarge your children's world. Amy Riep, M.S.W., is the vice president of Ignite South Africa and a mother of two young children. She encourages parents to "look at maps, orient children to their home country, and visually expose them to how big the world is." She's partial to globes because "America isn't featured front and center (conveying the message that we are the center of the world) but is clearly one part of a larger whole."
Rice Night
Designate one night a month as "Rice Night" in your home. On that night, prepare a simple meal of beans and rice (recipes to follow), and turn your family's attention to others around the world through a magazine, book, or online resource. Be sure to leave time for both discussion and prayer.
Though raising awareness is incredibly valuable, it's equally important to consider how you communicate these things to your kids. "One of the most necessary components to keeping compassion from being guilt-based, unhelpful, or even denigrating to people," Wystma reminds, "is to first see others as having dignity, having worth, and being relational beings just like ourselves. People are people first and poor second."
A Neighbor in Need
When author Tricia Goyer and her husband moved to Little Rock, Ark., they ultimately headed to the inner-city area on purpose. "I knew it would be easy to slip into the Bible Belt Bubble. My husband's job is with a Christian organization; there were big, beautiful churches; and I knew we could make great friends," Goyer recalls. Still, they chose differently. "How could I raise my child to believe the concept of giving to the least of these when I wasn't making the effort to cross town and reach out?" Goyer considered.
The Goyer family has been able to build meaningful relationships and serve their neighbors in tangible ways due largely to their close proximity. When asked whether she worries about what her children see, Goyer admits, "Yes, anxiety comes when we expose our children to the hard things of life. As parents, we want to protect our children. Yet there are needy, hurting people who need Christ. The greatest example we can give is to show our children that there are people who are different than us - who are living hard lives - but they need to know about Jesus, too."
Engaging Little Ones
When disaster strikes, it can be difficult to know how to involve young children without frightening them or leaving them feeling helpless. Following the tsunami in Japan, elementary teacher Liz Rampy led her first graders with both creativity and care. She began by reading them The Three Little Pigs. "Our class had a discussion about how the little pigs were homeless because the wolf blew down their houses," Rampy recalls.
The students soon made the connection that the people in Japan no longer had homes either. The conversation expanded, and naturally the kids wanted to help. With Rampy's gentle guidance, these 6-year-olds inspired a school- wide fundraiser for the people in Japan. "If we're going to introduce something to a child, we should be prepared to take action," Rampy reflects. "Introducing it without taking action not only misses the desired lesson but can also leave a child feeling hopeless. Taking action empowers the child."
Keep the Questions Coming!
As you seek to raise your kids' awareness for those around them, it can be tempting to talk more than listen. By resisting this urge, you can uncover a great deal about how your kids are processing their experiences. Riep suggests, "Giving our kids the freedom to ask questions about their new experiences rather than just talking to them about social issues is a great way to gauge what they are developmentally ready to understand and reconcile."