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The spiritual life of children doesn't look like adult faith—it's wilder, more embodied, and deeply imaginative. When my daughter gathered her stuffed animals and announced "Jesus is here and we're going to listen with our hearts," I realized she wasn't just playing—she was creating sacred space in her own intuitive way.
Decades of research by experts like Catherine Stonehouse and Scotty May confirm what many parents have glimpsed: children naturally encounter God through creativity and play long before they can articulate faith in adult language. Their book "Listening to Children on the Spiritual Journey" documents countless moments where kids express profound spiritual insights through art, storytelling, and imaginative exploration. One child described feeling Jesus's love while painting; another built a LEGO church and experienced it as genuine worship.
This isn't coincidental. Jesus himself taught primarily through parables and metaphors—he didn't offer three-point sermons but invited listeners into imaginative participation through stories about seeds, coins, and lost sheep. When our children ask if God has wings or what heaven smells like, they're engaging in precisely the kind of imaginative theology Jesus modeled. Eugene Peterson captures this beautifully in "Christ Plays in 10,000 Places," suggesting that divine presence saturates our ordinary world—not just in church but in cardboard castles and backyard adventures.
The challenge for parents is simple but profound: can we set aside our need to control and correct, stepping instead into our children's worlds with reverence and curiosity? This week, try joining your child in play without leading. Ask open-ended questions like "Where do you think God is in this story?" or provide gentle prompts such as "Can you draw what it feels like when God is close?" Your presence—not your perfection—is what creates space for sacred play.
Something beautiful happens when we enter our children's imaginative worlds: we remember what our souls have forgotten. We rediscover wonder, mystery, and a faith that breathes and moves. Join us next week as we explore what gets in the way when play feels hard, and how to gently find our way back to joy. Subscribe now and become part of our community of parents seeking faithful formation, one imaginative step at a time.

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