Testimonies

Testimonies, Tips and Tidbits Classroom Challenges Adjustment Time

by Robin Ulbredtch
06/16/17
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Adjustment Time

One year, while teaching a fourth through sixth grade Sunday school class, I was truly challenged to get the student’s attention. I had previously prayed and asked God to show me the age range where student’s should leave the “spiritual milk” and begin eating the meat and solid food of the word. I asked God to show me this because I believed He wanted me to write Bible curriculum for students of all ages. I believe God answered that prayer when He allowed me to teach this class.

At the beginning of the year, several students moved up into the fourth grade level. It seemed that they were so used to fun and games in Sunday school that they had a difficult time getting used to more difficult topics and having to be more serious and studious in class. However, as time went by and they learned the routine, they settled down and began learning about their Bible and how to use it to find solutions to difficult situations. I think they needed a time of adjustment, a time of learning that God’s word was holy, reverent and relevant to their daily lives.

The fifth graders seemed more docile and comfortable with studying God’s word in class. They seemed to be excited about learning how it could help them. They asked a lot of questions and we even spoke about some personal issues they were facing in their families at home. We had several good discussions about the temptations that come from the secular culture around us.

The sixth graders, for the most part, seemed to listen attentively to the discussions and they also asked questions about things going on in the world. They wanted to know what the Bible said about some of these issues. Therefore, we used the concordances in the back of our Bibles to look up the topics and find relevant scripture passages. This hands-on experience with addressing the issues of life seemed to be good for them. It showed them how to apply scripture to the issues they were facing and how they could learn lessons by reading about the experiences of those mentioned in God’s word. They learned that God loved them and wanted to bless them, and even though God forgave them, there would be consequences for bad behavior. Some of these sixth graders had already been exposed to friends who approached them, wanting them to try alcohol, cigarettes, pot or other drugs so we talked about the consequences of getting mixed up in the use of these substances. Thanks to God, we able to discuss these topics openly and truthfully. The students in my class new the destruction they could reap from using these substances.

I believe the adjustment from learning the “Spiritual milk” of the word to the “meat and/or solid food” needs to begin at or before the time our students enter into the class of fourth graders. The students need to know God’s word is not only a bunch of stories, but the truth that is serious, holy, and applicable to daily living. I believe this adjustment needs to be made because, in just a few years ahead, our students will be approached by friends or peers from the world, tempting them with opportunities to get involved with alcohol, drugs, illicit sexual relationships or tobacco. They will also be exposed to a wide range of destructive devices such as various cult and religious beliefs, temptations to alter or change their looks so they can fit in, comparing themselves with others and wanting to be “popular,” and other behaviors and thought patterns that come along with adolescence.

As our children grow up and mature in Christ, they need to be taught how to look up verses in scripture and find the answers to their questions, how God’s spiritual armor works, how to make good choices, how to learn from the good examples of others, and how to use their Spiritual sword to fight Spiritual warfare. Without this training, our children will not be prepared to fight in the battles that come their way.

I know God loves and watches out for His people. He will take care of them. Yet God still admonishes us to train our children up in the ways of the Lord. In scripture, Deuteronomy 6:5-9 KJV tells us, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shall bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shall write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

God entrusts His children to us. He expects us to care for them, feed them, and teach them how to do things for themselves and live in this earthly place. How can our children grow up equipped with the tools and strength from God’s word if we don’t teach them? How will they be able to confront the enemy and deal with the battles of everyday life if we don’t take God’s word seriously or take the time to teach it to our children?

Perhaps we could all benefit from an adjustment time?