Your Child’s Spirituality is important to our Eastern Region Association of Unity’s Churches.  As your Children’s Consultant, I am excited to support you through this website, our newsletters, calls, e-mail and trainings.

Children are naturally inquisitive. They often ask profound questions about nature, God, or relationships—questions that we, the adults in their lives, may feel somewhat hesitant to answer. But children deserve direct and honest answers so that they can gain enough information to form their personal opinions. This is especially true in the area of spirituality.

Every person has an individual concept of God and an opinion about religion. As parents, ministers and teachers, we have the responsibility to present our Unity beliefs to our children in ways that are easily understood and positively expressed.

Some of the basic questions children ask are:

• Who is God?
• Where is God?
• What happens when I die?
• Does God really hear my prayers?
• Why do bad things happen to people?

Some of the concerns that parents voice are:

• How do I encourage a spiritual way of life for my child?
• Am I telling my child too much for him or her to grasp intellectually and spiritually?
• What steps can I take to ensure moral character, good judgment, and responsibility in my child?

Before we talk to our children about religion, it is important that we explore our own beliefs and values. By being secure in our beliefs, we create a reassuring atmosphere in which a child can learn and grow in spiritual understanding. Therefore, as Youth Educators in our Unity movement, you are encouraged to set your spiritual life as your number one priority. Become clear about what Unity teaches and what you believe. Then answering these questions will flow from your heart.

Regardless of your beliefs and life-style, it is important that you feel comfortable about your way of life and project that confidence to your child. This opens the confidence to your child. This opens the way for the child to ask questions, receive direct answers, and explore his or her own beliefs without reservations or the fear of rejection or ridicule.

Because all people are threefold beings—body, mind and spirit—our children need to be nurtured in body, mind and spirit. As our children’s caretakers, we sometimes become so involved in their physical care that we may forget to provide the mental and spiritual care, which are so very important to their total well-being.

Some key elements to increasing spiritual awareness in children are:

Explaining the concept of God
Children form their concepts of God at an early age. Some think of God as a man in the sky who is watching their every move. Others see God as a loving Father who supports, guides, and encourages them. Still others envision God as “something” that is continually within and around them. Perhaps referring to God as a friend—someone with whom the child can talk about problems or concerns—is best.

Using an everyday, down-to-earth manner, which is easier and more personal for children—and without making their current beliefs wrong--we need to let them know that God is within them as protector and friend and that they can turn to God at any time.

Teaching effective communication with God
Prayer is our link to God, and it is important to teach children the value of prayer and how to pray. We can explain to them that prayer is a quiet time of releasing problems, asking for God’s help, and listening for God’s guidance.

Think about how you pray. Do you open your prayer time by repeating certain prayers? Do you find a special place for contemplation and quiet? Or do you simply pause for a moment and think of God? Although prayer is a personal experience, let your child know how you pray. Then encourage your child to find the method that is most comfortable for him or her.

Praying daily before meals and at bedtime helps children become familiar with the use of prayer. The more they use prayer in their daily lives, the more inclined they will be to turn to God in any need.

Affirmative prayer is very important and helpful, for it is a simple, direct and uplifting method of prayer. Children can be taught to say in a confident manner, God is with me all day long, or I am healthy, happy and strong. Statements like these are positive, faith-filled, and reassuring. Through the use of affirmative prayer, children learn to have confidence in their spirituality, to know that God is with them in every experience of life, and to have faith that all is well.

Encourage your child to find a time to become still and be alone with God. Perhaps there is a place the child can go that is conducive to peace and quiet, with few interruptions. This quiet time alone enables the child to talk with God about problems or concerns in the same way he or she would with a family member or friend.

If it is not possible to find a quiet, relaxing place for prayer, remind the child that God is always there and that he or she can contact God even in the busiest time and places.

Let your child know that prayer is a time for expressing faith, letting go of fears, asking for help, and listening for God’s answers. Bu encouraging prayer, you will help your child feel comfortable in turning to God.

Emphasizing a personal relationship with God
A personal relationship with God will carry a child through many challenges in life. Children need to know that God is available to them personally. We can assure them that at any time of the night or day, God is with them to guide, comfort, and sustain them. We can let them know that as they turn to God in prayer, they will feel the assurance of God’s help throughout each day.

You are an example to the children in your life. Your actions reflect your beliefs, and your own faith in God encourages them to be unafraid. Do not be anxious about what to say; rather, be open, for God is with you. Through your personal awareness of the presence of God, you are a powerful influence for good in your child’s life.

Our Region serves 14 states (including the District of Columbia) and 104 Unity churches. The consultants are here to serve. As your children’s consultant, you can contact me via e-mail through this website, or at LoudPoetry@aol.com . You can also call me at my home at 757-482-3858.

I’m not as cute as my mouse on this web page. But, I am a bit more effective.

James Scott, LUT
Eastern Region Children’s Consultant