Where did God come from? How big is God? How can I know when God is talking to me? Why do bad things happen to good people? Easy, right? If you can’t answer these questions with perfect clarity to any kid at any age, it must mean you’re not a Christian. Or, and hear me out on this one, it could mean you are a normal human with limitations to fully grasp the deep complexities of a perfectly holy Supreme Being, the Almighty King of kings. But that won’t stop your kids from asking you about Him. While you won’t be able to answer all their questions, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Here are a few tips to help you answer your kids’ questions about God.
Be prepared.
Hopefully, you are spending time with God regularly to strengthen your own knowledge and relationship with Him. This is your best means of preparation for answering questions your kids have. As you seek to answer your personal questions about God, you naturally prepare yourself for your kids’ questions about Him. Because you’ve spent time getting to know God, you can talk about Him.
It’s similar to questions your kids have about relatives they may not know as well. What kind of work did Granddad do? What was uncle Matt like as a kid? Because you spent time with your brother when you were kids and saw your dad at work or heard him talk about work when he got home, you have answers to your kids’ questions about these relatives. In a sense, you’ve spent years involved in the subject matter of your father and brother, so the material is second nature. As your time and relationship with God grow, so will your working knowledge of Him and your ability to speak easily about Him. Even the tough stuff.
Be at their level.
Your kids’ age and level of understanding should factor into how deep you answer their questions. Give them an accurate answer without dumbing it down or being misleading. If your 6-year-old asks about Noah’s ark and the flood, you can talk about how serious the problem of sin was without going into the details of worldwide extermination. We don’t teach calculus to first graders for a reason.
Be honest.
It’s more than okay to say I don’t know when you face a difficult question. As a matter of fact, there are some questions you should answer with I don’t know because you can’t know the answer. If you have an answer for every theological question, you are the only one on earth who does. Some questions simply don’t have answers, or at least not ones we can understand. And that’s okay. It’s actually better than okay; it’s excellent news. If you knew all there was to know about God; He wouldn’t be God. It’s simply impossible for our finite minds to comprehend an infinite God fully. And the fact that He is greater than we can even imagine speaks to His deity(ness)—totally a word your kids will believe is a real word.
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Be in it together.
If there is a question you don’t know, say something like, “Let’s go look it up.” Study the question together. Ask a pastor or trusted friend together. This is part of the discipleship process and a part of our spiritual growth in God’s Word (2 Peter 3:18). In doing so, your kids will learn to study God’s Word and seek Him out by doing it with you.
Be encouraging.
Tell your kids it’s a good thing to ask the types of questions that are difficult if not impossible to answer. It demonstrates they are thinking through Who God is and Who He could be. We don’t truly take ownership of our faith until we’ve spent some time wrestling with it. There are only two possible reasons for never experiencing any questions ever about our faith:
1. Our faith is perfect.
2. Our faith isn’t real.
If your kids are human, and I pray that they are, their deep and difficult questions reflect a faith in growing pains.
Questions about God give dads great discipleship opportunities.
Don’t brush them off or give them an off-the-cuff response. Dig in and engage with them and God’s Word. Both of you will be better off if you do.
