We can specify the size we want, but I\u2019m told that\u2019s not generally needed because \u201cOne Size Fits All.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m 6\u20197\u201d and weigh far more than I should. I can guarantee the Acme T-Shirt Company doesn\u2019t stock my size and, should I somehow manage to squeeze into that \u201cOSFA\u201d shirt, I\u2019ll look like a sausage from the waist up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That good idea\u2014wearing matching shirts\u2014is for me a problem. In a world plagued by war, wildfires, racism, and crippling debt it\u2019s not a major problem, but a problem nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which means it\u2019s also an opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teaching Kids About Opportunity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s true of most problems, by the way. Though we do our best to avoid them, problems help us see who we really are and what we truly believe. They put our faith, trust, and values to the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe that\u2019s why God lets so many problems come our way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t write that casually. I know some problems\u2014cancer and tornadoes come to mind\u2014are huge in a way fitting into a t-shirt isn\u2019t. I\u2019ve faced a few of those Big League Problems and I\u2019m sure you have, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing is certain: the kids you serve also face them. For young children the death of a pet, the need to switch schools, an uptick in how loudly their parents argue\u2014those all qualify as substantial problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though we do our best to avoid them, problems help us see who we really are and what we truly believe. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n In the Problems and Promises series<\/a> of Wonder Ink lessons you\u2019ll teach your kids how to work through problems. You\u2019ll help kids discover their problems can draw them closer to God. That God uses problems to mold their character. That problems can focus their attention on God and deepen their faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And you\u2019ll be reminded of those same truths as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You and your kids will join God\u2019s people as they march out of Egypt and into the land God promised and delivered\u2026though Canaan came with a few problems to solve once they arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll help kids see how God\u2019s people responded to those problems and, in the process, explore how to handle their own challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So pause to pray <\/a>before presenting these lessons. Ask God to open your kids\u2019 hearts so they can soak it all in and have what they learn ready when the next problem comes calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask God to help your kids see problems as more than obstacles, to instead see them as opportunities as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t Wonder Ink\u2019s 3-year, 52-week children\u2019s ministry curriculum offers kids space to fully find their place in God\u2019s Big Story. Children discover they are Known by God, Loved by Jesus, and Led by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n Nothing grabs one\u2019s attention as quickly as a crisis. Fixing the problem becomes top priority\u2014everything else takes a back seat for the duration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s true for kids as well as adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Encourage your kids to do what God\u2019s people did as they moved deeper into Canaan: to seek God as well as solutions, to invite God into problem situations so He can lead and comfort. When kids see problems as a trigger to reach out to God and ask for help, those problems help keep God in focus at crucial moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kids encountering problems sometimes think God no longer cares about them. After all, God is all-powerful, right? And loving? So why wouldn\u2019t an all-powerful, loving God keep that bully at bay?<\/p>\n\n\n\n But God never promised to spare us our share of problems. Jesus even warned his first followers they\u2019d face persecution and death simply for following Him in a fallen world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask God to open your kids\u2019 hearts so they can soak it all in and have what they learn ready when the next problem comes calling.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Urging your kids to view problems as a chance to team up with God to get though tough stuff deepens their dependence on Him. They discover His love is bigger than any difficulty life throws at them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we see God working in our lives it builds trust and confidence in Him. And problems are great opportunities for God to act in and through us. Your kids aren\u2019t too young for God<\/a> to use in mighty ways, to experience His power in ways that transform their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your kids coast through life never encountering a problem, they\u2019ll not have the chance to see God do His stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your kids are used to relying on others for shelter, lunch, and pretty much everything else. It\u2019s we adults who get snippy when we have to admit we can\u2019t control events and outcomes, that we have to rely on someone besides ourselves<\/a> to deal with a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So perhaps this is an area in which your kids can teach you something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But how do you make it happen? How do you convince your kids to see problems as opportunities to let God shine in and through them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You know a lost parakeet isn\u2019t the end of the world. A crashed bike isn\u2019t actually that big a deal. But to your kids, those losses are problems on a par with nuclear testing or an economic meltdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So honor kids\u2019 problems. Listen well when a kid risks telling you what\u2019s causing pain in his or her life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many kids\u2014and adults\u2014believe God will somehow protect them from experiencing problems. But God never made any such promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul had problems. Jesus had problems. You\u2019ve had problems. It happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What God promises is your kids don\u2019t need to deal with problems on their own. He\u2019s with them, even when they\u2019re walking in the shadow of the valley of death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re not alone<\/a>. Not now, not ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your kids coast through life never encountering a problem, they\u2019ll not have the chance to see God do His stuff.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Pause to pray with kids when they first tell you about a problem, and let them know you\u2019ll continue praying for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, when you see them next, ask for an update about the problem. Help kids see that God is caring for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n God has always kept his promises\u2014and he\u2019ll keep his promise to stick by your kids in times of trouble (see Romans 8:35-37<\/a> and Psalm 23:4<\/a>). Show kids God\u2019s track record by sharing several promises He\u2019s kept. He said he\u2019d give His people a land in which they could worship him and He delivered (Exodus 6:8<\/a>; Deuteronom<\/a>y<\/a> 3:28<\/a>). He said He\u2019d send a savior and Jesus came (Micah 5:2<\/a>; Luke 2:4-6<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may not be a mandatory reporter when it comes to child abuse, but if you sense it might be happening let your ministry leader know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Never let a child suffer because you don\u2019t want to get involved in something difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This series of lessons can change your kids\u2019 lives\u2014forever. As kids begin to view problems as situations in which to see God work, those problems are no longer problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ask God to help your kids see problems as more than obstacles, to instead see them as opportunities as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":6176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Teaching Kids How God Can Work Through Problems - Wonder Ink","_seopress_titles_desc":"As you teach kids, ask God to help your kids see problems as more than obstacles, to instead see them as opportunities as well.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"blog_topic":[30,27],"blog_type":[13],"ppma_author":[41],"class_list":["post-5894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","blog_topic-childrens-curriculum","blog_topic-faith-formation","blog_type-blog"],"authors":[{"term_id":41,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"mikal-keefer","display_name":"Mikal Keefer","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/mlzai04amy7e.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:80\/f:best\/https:\/\/wonderink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fixed-04889-Mikal-Keefer-vs-2-scaled.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/mlzai04amy7e.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:80\/f:best\/https:\/\/wonderink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fixed-04889-Mikal-Keefer-vs-2-scaled.jpg"},"author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":"Mikal Keefer is an over-sized volunteer at Good Shepherd Church in Loveland, Colorado, and the author of the best-selling Notes From Jesus. 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Opportunities to\u2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
1. Sharpen their focus on God<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Teach kids to turn toward God, not away<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Grow in their faith<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Accept God\u2019s help<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Consider these five practical steps you can take starting now:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
1. Listen well when kids have a problem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Right-size expectations about problems<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Pray with your kids<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Teach kids and remind them of God\u2019s past faithfulness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. And if a problem warrants it, make a referral<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"boy](\"https:\/\/mlzai04amy7e.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:80\/f:best\/https:\/\/wonderink.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/GettyImages-1368273881.jpg\")