The Importance of Being Goliath

Kids love to play pretend.  Common phrases heard in our household are, “Hey Grant, let’s pretend...” or “Amelia, pretend like we’re...”  As any child development expert will tell you, active role-playing is vital for a child’s emotional and intellectual growth.

But it is also vital for their spiritual growth.  One of the best ways for kids to grow in their faith is to act out Bible stories in their daily play time.  Reading Bible stories to your kids is essential.  Helping them understand how those Bible stories relate to their world may be even more important.  But acting out these stories in physical play can go a long way toward helping to ensure that the message of the story is embedded in their long-term memory.  The Bible will come alive to your children in a new way if you can get creative about “playing pretend” with them.

I’m not much for the dramatic arts, but I’ve put on some Oscar-caliber performances with my kids as we’ve acted out famous Bible stories.  Although I’m typically type-cast as the bad guy (and Amelia and Grant always end up with the hero roles), I enjoy helping them learn through active play.  And, believe me, it gets active!

Dads, next time you read the story of David and Goliath to your kids, become Goliath.  Bow up your chest, put on your best scowl, and with a deep, gravelly, snarling voice (being careful not to scare their training-pants off), call them out:  “You can’t defeat me, David!  Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?!”  Your kids will love pretending to pick up a stone, whirl it through the air and drill you in the middle of the forehead with it (just make sure they use a pretend stone).  Give ‘em an over-the-top, heaving, choking, desperate death scene complete with a crash landing right on the floor in front of their feet, and you’ve just put flesh-and-blood on a 3000 year old story.  Plus, you’ve also entered their world by playing with them.

Yes, you might feel stupid.  You probably will look stupid.  Who cares?!  The only people who will see you do this will love you for it!  Your kids will love you for playing with them.  Your wife will love you for playing with your kids and for embodying Deuteronomy 6:4-9.  God will love you for modeling Christ:  this is the kind of incarnational ministry that Jesus would be proud of!

Here’s a few pretend play tips:

1. After you're done acting out a story, get a drink (if you’re in the kind of physical shape that I’m in, you’ll need one), sit down, and talk to your kids about why the story is important.  If they can sit still long enough, pray together about key principles in the story.  If the story is “David and Goliath” pray that your son or daughter will grow up to have courage like David.  Pray that when challenges come their way, they would be able to trust and rely on the Lord similar to the way David did.  In doing so, you’ll demonstrate to your kids that even when they are playing they can worship the Lord.

2. Take advantage of the stories and Bible passages that have been discussed recently at church.  For example, last Sunday we discussed the “Parable of the Good Samaritan” during our morning worship service.  My kids have acted that story out with me in the past, and we’ve had a blast!  In recent weeks some of Creekside’s children have been learning about Joseph.  Take some time during the week to act out the story of Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery.  Choose different roles and then rotate through the roles to give everyone a chance to be poor Joseph.  Let them pretend to be Joseph when he takes command of Egypt’s economy and is re-united with his repentant family (played by you). 

3. If you wanna get crazy, you can even break out some dress-up clothes to better help everyone look the part.  That hideous looking sweater that your Great Aunt Mildred knitted you back in 1993...you know...the one stuffed back in the dark recesses of your closet and that you can’t get rid of because she asks about it every Christmas?  That could make a great “coat of many colors!”

Ultimately, it doesn't really matter how you do it (or how well you do it).  What matters is that you do it.  And when you do it, the Lord will use it.  It'll be one more brick that you're adding to the home!

Welcome!

Well, this is the first post on Brick By Brick the "Official" blog of the Homebuilders ministry of Creekside Community Church.  Our Homebuilders ministry consists of families with children in elementary school or younger.  Whether you are a long-time (and fertile!) Creeksider who's had a quiver full o' kids in elementary school since...well...since Steve Spurrier coached the Gators, or whether you are brand new to our church with a brand new baby, I hope that this blog is a helpful resource to you as you seek to live out Psalm 127:1: "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain."

Thanks for stopping by, and make sure to be a part of the conversation!  I'm not sure if "it takes a village" to raise a child to love Jesus, but it certainly does take a church!  Make sure you sign up to follow this blog so that you can receive updates when a new post arrives fresh out of the kiln.  I hope to see you around Creekside very soon!