Omniscience
I've been meaning to write this for a few weeks now...The "song about God" that 1st Grade has been working on this past month was "You Are Always With Me" (from Awesome God - I've telling you, I LOVE that CD!!). I chose it because 1st Grade has been studying the attributes of God in Bible this year and recently learned about His omniscience and omnipresence. This song is taken almost straight from Psalm 139, so it clearly described those attributes.
When introducing the first verse (below), I told the students that I had good news and bad news. The good news is that God knows everything about us: all the things we're good at and do well, everything we're feeling even when no one else understands, etc. The bad news is - God knows everything about us and sees all that we do, even the things we think no one sees and we try to hide from others.
I shared several examples and as I was talking, I noticed the room get very quiet and a sickening look of guilt cross every 1st Grader's face (it might very well have been a reflection of my own expression as I thought about all the things I wished no one knew about me, especially my holy Judge). The whole class was so serious and looked so guilty that I realized - these kids need to hear the gospel in the midst of this terrible news! So I quickly added, "But the good news is, even though God know everything about us, He loves us and sent Jesus to be punished for all of those bad things so that we wouldn't have to be!"
As I was turning on the CD so that we could actually sing that song, I heard Aim (probably the worst behaved student in that class) ask "Does God love when we do bad things?"
I barely heard him before the music was turned on, so I didn't answer right away, but when it was over, I asked Aim to repeat his question. He changed it slightly, asking "Does God love when we are not a Christian?"
We had such a good (and hopefully gospel-centered) class discussion springing from those questions. My students are full of good questions - many of them difficult ones that require me to do some research! It's a very humbling thing as I want so badly to speak the truth to my kids and show them that the Scriptures have an answer to those tough issues. I feel like I have so much to learn still regarding what the Bible even says, what the gospel is and how on earth to communicate that to children, many of whom have no Christian background at all. But I'm so glad they're thinking and feel comfortable enough to ask me.
In another 1st Grade class, after teaching on the same things (God's love and willingness to forgive all the sin that He sees in us), little Sine said, "That is good news!" : )
You know everything about me
You know when I wake and sleep
You know everything I'm thinking
You know all my secret deeds
You know every word I say, long before I say it
You know everywhere I go and all my ways
You are always with me, Jesus
Where could I go? Where could I hide?
You are always with me, Jesus
You never leave my side
If I flew away to heaven,
Jesus, there I would find You
If I sank into the ocean,
Jesus, You would be there too
Even in the darkest night -
to You it's bright as day
You have laid Your hand on me
It's wonderful!
posted by Catherine Rogers @ 9:51 PM
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