Have you told your children they are chosen by God?

My son and I were reading the story of Joseph together. We ended on ab bit of a cliffhanger, where Joseph is put in charge of Egypt’s abundance and entering the years of famine.

I elaborated on the rest of the story, explaining that eventually the Hebrew people become slaves in Egypt and God sends Moses to ask Pharaoh to release them. This leads to the ten plagues, the release of the slaves, the parting of the Red Sea and wandering in the desert.

I skipped several hundred years but said that the Hebrews/Isrealites were God’s chosen people, He protected them and promised to give them land and peace. However, when Jesus came, they rejected Him. After years of falling away from God and being rescued, when God sent the ultimate rescuer they turned away from Him.

For this reason, God chose other people; gentiles, to be part of His covenant. Thus, we today are part of this promise and get to know Jesus.

Even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?

Romans 9:24

It was a lot of information summed up in a few sentences but my bright little five-year-old understood every word. He looked up at me and said “I wonder if I am one of those chosen people.”

I smiled and said, “Yes my dear, you absolutely are one of those chosen people!”

I wish I had a picture of the smile on his little five-year-old face. To be told that he was chosen by God meant more than I realized.

Loved vs. Chosen

We tell our children we love them multiple times a day. But we also say we love coffee and sunshine and sleeping. The word “love” loses its effect after awhile, and while we say it so our children know how we feel, I didn’t realize that sometimes we need to give them a deeper understand of God’s love.

Chosen By God

What I realized is that God’s love means we are chosen by Him, and while I understand that, my five-year-old hadn’t heard it.

This revelation meant more to him than all the “Jesus loves you’s” I’ve ever spoken to him.

Being chosen is special, it tells us we are singled out by someone, known by them and selected. Which is exactly what God has done.

He formed us in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13) and knew us before then. He wants us, He calls us by name and will forever pursue us.

This is what we need to explain to our children, they are not only loved but chosen by God.

How Do You Explain This?

The explanation is the tough part. Telling your kids in passing that they are chosen may not impact them the way you want it to.

I suggest doing as I did, by giving a synopsis of God’s people and how they fell away from God but were always rescued by Him. His promise to them was one of love, because He chose them.

Then when it came to the most important choice, accepting Jesus, they rejected Yaweh again and so He opened His love up to others. God chose others to join in His covenant, he chose you and your children.

God still has His arms open to His people, all of them, Jewish and Gentiles, because once you are chosen you will always be welcomed back. But we need to accept God’s gift of choosing us, when we say we love Jesus we say we are taking the opportunity to live for Him.

How Do You Live Out the Chosen Life?

We then need to talk to our children about living a “chosen life.”

This means living for God. It doesn’t mean we have to be perfect. It doesn’t mean we will walk an easy road. What it means is that we choose God, in every decision we make, we choose Him because He has chosen us.

How do we choose Him? Here are some ways to explain to your kids:

• Tell the truth (even when it’s hard)
• Be kind to your siblings and friends
• Use words that will build people up
• Choose activities (books, shows, games etc) that God would want you to enjoy
• Choose joy over jealousy
• Thank God in every situation
• Seek God when you are angry, upset or sad

You get the idea. Give your children the basics of walking in God’s word and being His disciple.

For kids with questions about God, I highly recomend “Kids’ Big Questions for God: 101 Things You Want to Know,” Available on Amazon.

It’s More Than Love, You Are Chosen By God!

Let your children know that it is more than love. This is the definition of love, that they have been chosen by God.

Spend time with them, telling them the Bible stories so they can see God’s faithfulness and know that if they seek Him, He will find them!

Want more? Check out “Teaching Your Children About Jesus,” or “Teaching Your Children How to Pray.”