When asked, “What’s God like?” one lad quipped, “He buys His clothes at Big and Tall.”

Over Sunday dinner, Mom asked her young son what he learned in Sunday school. Confidently, he replied, “We learned about God, Moses, and Batman.”

When my daughter Lynsey was eight years old, she wondered aloud, “What does God do on His day off?”

Children are spiritual beings. That means they, like us, seek to know their Creator. They will ask naive questions or give confused answers in their quest to know Him. Their questions, misunderstandings, and doubts are not stumbling blocks, but invitations to spiritual growth.

As the parent of a young, impressionable child, you have multiple occasions to teach your tot about God. Did you know that from birth to 18 years old, when he graduates, 85 percent of his waking, learning hours are spent, not in the classroom, but in your home? Your living room is his primary class and you are his first and most important teacher. The scholar and theologian, William Barclay counseled, “There are no teachers so effective for good or evil as parents.” The Bible recognizes that parents are tremendously influential teachers. The sixth chapter of Deuteronomy commands parents to instruct their child when they walk, lay down, and get up. Summed up this means to consciously and daily work at being your child’s Christian educator.

Rest assured, you do not have to be perfect to be your child’s spiritual equipper. Many parents have shared their self-doubts with me. They felt they might “mess up” or not give the correct answer. It is natural to want your child to have the right guidance. But if we do our best God will do the rest. Wisely, one mother recognized that she didn’t always have to “quench the thirst” of her son’s spiritual needs but she must “create the thirst.” To be effective in creating your child’s thirst, practice these suggestions.

• Seize any occasion to speak of God. Each morning I wake my daughter Laura for school with, “This is the day the Lord has made…”, although, Laura’s not always ready to “rejoice and be glad.” One mother told me she helps her son with verse memorization. “It is amazing what my four-year-old will learn to the tune of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ or ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat,'” she said. I applaud parents who teach their child Bible verses, because it is “putting on the armor of God” for life’s battles

• Weave spiritual lessons into your daily conversations. With the warm weather we’ve enjoyed recently, Laura and I did some gardening on our daffodils and day lillies. As we knelt in the dirt, I explained the importance of clearing away old leaves and debris from the emerging plants. This will allow them fresh air and sun for growth. “It’s like that in our lives, too” I went on. “We must clear away attitudes and behaviors that keep us from growing toward God.”

• Around your home, place visible reminders that testify to your faith in God. I remember the bronze cast of praying hands Mom and Dad had for years in our living room. The well-read family Bible remains on their coffee table today. Now, as a parent, I tape up Bible verses on mirrors, the refrigerator, and even on my car visor. The ones in the car humbly remind me that my children are watching my attitudes towards other drivers.

• Children are visual learners. That means what they see has more impact than what they hear. Our beliefs about God must be lived out rather than just told to them. If we want our children to accept the Father’s forgiveness, we must forgive. If we want our children to know that He is long-suffering, we must be patient even with the neighbor’s cat that digs in our garden. If we want our children to understand charity, we must give, even if it’s only used clothing to a shelter. One father testified that for him, this means going the speed limit to model obeying the law. Another said he lets his child put the offering envelope in the passing plate to teach about giving to God’s work.

• Your participation in church can create a thirst for God. Often the Sunday school lesson, music, or pastor’s sermon creates interesting questions. I want my children to see that we cultivate friendships with those who are like-minded in spiritual matters. I want them to develop relationships with teachers, leaders, and mature Christians who can help when they have doubts. Belonging to a community of believers often supports the Christian education we do at home.

Everyday – in every way, you can create a spiritual thirst in your child. A thirst to know Our Father, to enjoy His forgiveness, and to benefit from His love. You will enable your child to grow up knowing he is not alone in the universe. And your child will never lack a moral compass to guide his way.