7 Biblical Lessons Adults Can Learn from Children

As soon as I met up with my friend, her eldest son wanted to give me one of his stickers from his sticker collection. It was a sheriff's badge from the town where they live. My friend said I should consider it a high honor as her son genuinely loves his sticker collection. He doesn’t give stickers to just anyone.

I thanked him for his kindness, and he smiled brightly. He went on to tell me about his collection, his favorite sticker, and how he gave his lion sticker to his best friend. As I was driving home after visiting with my friend, I thought about how he was so willing to share his favorite stickers with others. How many of us can say we do the same thing in our own lives?

Are we willing to share our income with those who are in need? Are we willing to share our time with a loved one who is in the hospital? Are we willing to share our lives with God by serving on the mission field?

The Bible tells us, “And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God” (Hebrews 13:16, New Living Translation). Likewise, we are by Jesus, “And he answered them, ‘Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise’” (Luke 3:11, English Standard Version).

My friend's second-oldest son listened to her with such respect that it was truly humbling. Whenever mom told him to come down from playing, he listened. Whenever mom told him to calm down and use his inside voice, he obeyed. The respect and honor this young boy has for his mother causes us to question our own obedience to our parents as well as to our Heavenly Father.

The Bible is clear that we are to obey our parents in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1). This means we are to obey them as long as their instructions align with the Word of God. If our parents tell us to do something that is unbiblical or wrong, we are not bound to obey them. However, we are called to obey them in matters of respect, care, compassion, and love.

Even for difficult parents, we are called to love them. While we may need to distance ourselves, we should continue to love them, show concern for their well-being, and pray for them. The Apostle Peter tells us, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8, New Living Translation).

My friend’s children were not afraid to be themselves in any shape or form. They are too young to be influenced by the desire to be “cool” or part of the crowd. They simply want to be the people God created them to be. Since my friend and her husband are strong Christ followers, they have raised their children to know it is okay to be themselves. They do not have to try to be someone they are not.

How many of us are okay with being ourselves? Adulthood can force us to alter who we are to conform to the wants of others. Rather than conforming any longer, we must be okay with being ourselves. There is no reason to try to be someone we are not.

The Bible tells us we are God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). We are also told we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). With this in mind, we must stop being afraid to be ourselves. God created us uniquely for a reason. We each have our own skills, abilities, and talents.

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While my friend and I were talking, her third child began to escape from her high chair. She wanted to go play with her brothers. My friend took her daughter out of her highchair and told the eldest to make sure he looked after her. Since there were other kids playing, she had to ensure her daughter stayed safe.

He listened to his mom and did a fantastic job at looking after his little sister. Even if she tried to fight him when she wanted to go up the slide, he would gently lead her away from the slide and back to the stairs. In this way, he was looking after his younger sibling in a real, tangible way.

Paul tells us, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, that is his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8, Holman Christian Standard Bible). While providing can mean financially, it can also refer to helping our loved ones in other ways. In the case of my friend’s son, providing means he was looking after his little sister’s well-being. Rather than leaving her alone, he stayed with her and made sure she was safe.

Are we currently looking after our own siblings? How many of us have a family member we no longer speak to? As Christ followers, we need to put 1 Timothy 5:8 into action by providing for our own families. Loving God means loving others.

About thirty minutes into our conversation, my friend's eldest son came out of the play area to join us. He wanted to be part of grown-up talk, although he struggled with certain complex words. Despite this challenge, he actively engaged in conversation with us and expressed a genuine interest in learning more about me. He wanted to know what was hard about my job, what my favorite parks were, and if I liked animals.

As adults, we often fail to connect with others. This is especially true if we tend to be introverted. If we are going to truly live, we must be involved with others. Being alone all the time is neither edifying nor positive. We need to try to be actively involved with others (Hebrews 10:25), just like my friend’s son. This could be joining in with the conversation, planning a meet-up with a friend we have not seen in a while, or joining a new club.

My friend’s children were excited to talk about all the fun events of their day. They had gone to a birthday party and played outside. Although many of us would think this was a pretty basic weekend event for a child, my friend’s children thought these events were the coolest thing. They truly understand what it means to live life to the fullest. Rather than wasting time on trivial things, they are too busy having fun.

Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” New Living Translation). As Christ followers, we must understand the brevity of our lives and the importance of seizing the day. Life is meant to be lived, not passed by.

Think about your own life situation right now. Are you living each moment to the fullest? Or are you overwhelmed with the worries of daily life? Make the change today to live each moment to the fullest. Meet up with loved ones, adopt a pet, or go on an unexpected adventure.

My friend’s eldest son had fallen while he was playing earlier in the day and sustained a minor injury behind his ear. While it only bothered him when someone was talking about it, he easily brushed off his mistake of falling and kept going about his day. He was not embarrassed by falling. In fact, he wanted to tell you all about it.

In our own lives, we need to be gracious to ourselves. We will make mistakes throughout our lives, yet we cannot linger over them. It is vital that we learn from our mistakes and keep moving forward. Remaining paralyzed by embarrassment, guilt, and shame will render us ineffective for Christ.

The Bible tells us to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). This forgiveness also extends to ourselves. Any mistakes we have made in the past need to be forgiven. Ask the Lord to help you forgive yourself and move past your mistakes. Similar to my friend’s son, we must keep pushing forward with the life God has for us.