We were watching a Christian toddler show (as Judah is 2, almost 3 now), and they had an extended version of the “The Fruit of the Spirit is Not a Coconut” kids’ song playing with a puppet and a lot of singing and dancing. That got me thinking, so I reread Galatians 5. Galatians 5 talks about the difference in behavior between people who have Christ in them and live in the Spirit and those who don’t. One thing for sure is that the “fruit of the Spirit” is not a list of things that we as Christians need to attain; it’s a list of behaviors that result from living in the Spirit. I have walked away from messages, especially kids’ messages, with the impression that those are things I must practice or do as a Christian. But if you read Galatians 5 as a whole, you get that Paul is not saying that; he is making the point that those who are truly Christians have distinct behaviors that will make it clear those who are in Christ and those who are not. This is just an echo of Christ’s words in John 13:35. Christians like to say so as not to offend anyone, “Well, only God knows their heart, so you can’t say if they are Christ’s or not.” Paul differs here and is not shy about offending anyone.
Well, that is not what I wanted to discuss, but it is a prime example of what I will call “Foundational Living.” Foundational living is taking in things you hear, see, and process and running them past the foundation you have laid to see if they match. I have done that with this blog so far and in my own life. In Ephesians 4:14, Paul says, “… we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;” and that is what foundational living does. If what we see, learn, or listen to does not match the foundation, it needs to be tossed or assessed. If it is true, a lot of work will need to be done to adjust the foundation and ensure there are no conflicts or issues. Or, it’s a lousy doctrine and needs to be trashed. Too many people lay a foundation, try to build on things that don’t fit, and then get rather angry when questioned. Foundational living is not easy; it is intentional. It requires not just sitting and leaning but also processing, analyzing, and, along with Galatians 5, living in the Spirit because the Spirit will give you the heads up when something does not sound correct, but then it’s your job to follow up and check it out.
So, with what I started with, that kids’ program, according to what I have learned, seems askew when it comes to doctrine. This led me down a lot of rabbit holes. I seem to have issues with a lot of “Christian” kids’ programming. When I look at Scripture, I don’t see a lot of support for watering down Scripture to help a toddler understand it. If I take the foundational living approach to life in general, a toddler should be focused on learning to read to lay down a good language foundation so they can read Scripture themselves. Scripture is not a kid’s book; even in Scripture itself, they are only taught it once they are at least 12. Toddlers’ learning should be through the example of those around them, not a cutesy song. Why would a toddler need to know who is living in the Spirit or not anyway? Historically, there seems to be little support for toddler Scripture, and even so, based on what we have learned until they reach the age to understand it, honestly, in the long run, does it do any good? I will not say yes or no here, but I will offer the challenge to think it over and see what the Spirit says honestly. That is good practice for foundational living. Lay aside the traditions and give an honest look; sometimes, the result can be surprising.
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