The Plot Thickens

Last night I spoke to more than forty kids at an Awanas meeting. (Not to be confused with Kiwanis—Awanas is a Bible club). The assignment was for me to tell kids what I do and somehow work in the gospel.

Well, what I do is create problems. All day long. Then I make them worse. Only then do I fix them. See, I’m a fiction writer, and every good story has a problem. And problems usually get worse—that’s called a plot thickening. And every good plot has a satisfying ending that addresses the problem.

So at Awanas I talked about my books (The Imagination Station series for kids 7 and up) and I then talked about the Bible—which illustrates a lot of problems. I told them this—and you can tell this to your kids/teens too:

1. In the first few chapters of the Bible, sin is introduced as the problem for Adam and Eve.
2. Then the plot thickens. The problem spreads to all people, so that by the time of Moses, millions of people are struggling with sin and a list of rules helps a bit, but it doesn’t solve the problem.
3. Next we get King David, and having a nation of Israelites helps the problem a little bit for a while, but then the problem gets worse, with the king, no less, falling to sin.
4. Next God punishes the people, and that problem gets worse because the Israelites are now living in countries that worship other gods and follow their ways. Some Israelites repent and try to restore the nation of Israel, but not so much good happens. The problem of sin still exists.
5. Enter Jesus. The permanent solution to the problem arrives. He is our Superhero. The final solution, so to speak.

So there’s your segue into talking about Jesus with your kids/teens after you read any good story, see any good TV show or movie, or read the newspaper.

Problems exist. They usually get worse. In stories, the main character is usually the hero and fixes the problem. In life, problems exist. They usually get worse. But Jesus has ultimately solved the problem. He’s the only true hero for life.

Got a problem in your family? Turn it into a reason to talk about Jesus, the ultimate problem solver.