Hey, Daddy, I’m a Covenanter

Tonight as we were cleaning up, one of my boys picked up a replica long rifle, aimed it and called out, “Hey, Daddy, I’m a Covenanter!” He was taking aim at the dragoons. We are currently reading a book about the Covenanters and their courageous adherence to the faith in the midst of persecution (typically carried out by the dragoons). I plan to review the book once we are finished, but you know you are getting somewhere when your children’s play is guided by the reading you do with them. When the stories you give them shape the characters they assume and the things they do, this is a good sign for the shaping of their character and the implications for what they will do in the future.

Therefore, even though the scene was brief (we were in the midst of cleaning!), I was greatly encouraged when my son made that statement, “Hey, Daddy, I’m a Covenanter!” Externally I just went along with the game, but internally my heart swelled with encouragement. I found myself thinking, “May it be so, Son. May you live faithfully in covenant with God, and as those Covenanters of old may you be unrelenting in your loyalty to King Jesus and His Kirk.”

The stories we give them can shape their lives. Do not abdicate the privilege of being the primary source of their stories. Seize that place, and then give them wonderful stories to capture their imaginations (and thus their hearts), molding their consciences, and exercising discernment and courage vicariously in preparation for the future.