Training children about money and possessions begins at birth. For better or worse, we are their tutors, every hour of every day. Albert Schweitzer put it this way: “There are only three ways to teach a child. The first is by example; the second is by example; the third is by example.”
Our perspective on money and possessions—and how we handle them—lies at the very heart of the Christian life. That’s no overstatement. The Bible emphatically demonstrates that our view of money and possessions is of utmost importance. What we do with them influences eternity.
Nothing will hinder or prevent a child from developing a rich relationship with God like a life centered on things. The greatest legacy we can leave our children is our example of a meaningful spiritual life which includes a God-honoring attitude toward money.
Conrad Dueck asks, “How many of you would ever put your kid on a canoe in a river without teaching them how to paddle, giving them safety instructions, or providing them with a paddle and lifejacket? That would be stupid, right? But that is what many parents do when they send their kids out the door to college without first teaching them how to control their spending, earn money, avoid debt, and be wise with credit cards.”
And I would add that the foundation of handling money wisely is learning to live a generous life as a steward of the money and resources God has given us. If you have younger kids or grandkids, a great way to teach them about generosity is through the Generous Kids Book Club. They’re produced by I Like Giving, a wonderful organization founded by my friend Brad Formsma, focused on creating a worldwide generosity movement. (I had the privilege of being on Brad’s podcast, the WOW Factor, to talk about grieving with hope, and that episode releases today. And by the way, I got from I Like Giving several of the stories I featured in my book Giving Is the Good Life. That book actually contains over 100 very short giving stories that will broaden your imagination when it comes to ways to give and the creativity and joy of giving.)
The Generous Kids books are an excellent resource for grandparents to engage with their grandkids around values that matter and share with them the generous life message. I have gone through three of those books and really enjoyed them! (There’s also a homeschool curriculum called Generous Students.)
My former assistant and current board member Kathy Norquist shared one of the books, Jasper G and the Me-Thinking Madness, with her six-year-old grandson. After reading the book to him, Kathy’s daughter-in-law wrote, “Leo liked the book! And me, too. I like rhyming books and especially ones that have good biblical content. Leo is now sleeping with the Jasper G stuffie.”
Kathy writes, “Leo will be very excited as I periodically gift him another one from the book bundle! He loves books that relate to others. And what a great idea to include the stuffed Generosity Giraffe!”
Generous Family, part of the I Like Giving, has some more great free resources for families, including videos and a generosity adventure guide. It warms my heart to think of kids being helped in the arena of giving by this great material! Check them out to share with your family and church.
