My six-year-old first-grader, who is also a brand-new baby Christian, just got a small taste of persecution. The children in her class were supposed to draw a picture of what they would be doing over the summer break. Jenna’s picture was of Jesus and all the things she would do at our church.

“Jenna, when someone becomes a Jesus follower,” I said, “many people won’t like it. They may say mean things to you, or they won’t be your friend anymore. Some of your teachers may tell you that you can’t talk about Jesus or say Christmas or Easter,” I said.

“But why, Mommy?” she asked.

“Not all people love Jesus. They may not understand they need Him. They may not even want to know about Him. But you have to remember that when people say or do mean things to you, they’ve also done that to Jesus.

“The best thing to do,” I went on, “is to ask God to help you love them and to help them want to know Him. Remember to always treat people with kindness and your teachers with respect. And never forget that you belong to Jesus.”

Teaching our children to expect persecution is hard to do. But the Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 3:12 that “all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Even the youngest of us. Remind your kids that Jesus will be with them, that God has a bigger plan, and that He will not forsake them.