This post contains affiliate links. Please read the Disclosure Policy for details.
Kids are sponges. They observe, even when we think they aren’t. They retain, more than we think they do. And they mimic everything: the good, the bad, and the embarrassing.
My oldest calls his sister “sweet girl”…because I do.
He also sighs loudly when he is exasperated…because I do.
He squeals and screams as loud as he possibly can…because his sister does.
He started calling people “doo doo butt”…because his friend does.
No doubt about it, our kids are impressionable. And it’s our job to bring them up in the way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6). That means we need to direct them towards the Word of God to know and understand what constitutes as sin in God’s eyes, the punishment for sin (death and eternal separation from God), and the sacrifice Jesus made so that we can be saved from that punishment. The gospel needs to be the red thread through all of the life lessons we teach our children.
How Does God View Racism?
Racism is one such lesson that has recently become front and center in the media. What does God think about racism and how should we be instructing our kids in this topic?
Racism is prejudice against someone of another race, believing that one is superior to another. Racism has always been an issue in the world, from ancient times until now. Thousands of years ago, Paul writes in the book of Galatians about God’s stance on racism:
Galatians 3:26-29 (emphasis mine)
“26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
God sees us all the same. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, God views every single person – black, brown, white, red, yellow – as his children. God doesn’t differentiate between race, occupation, or sex. In fact, the Bible is very clear that racism is sin.
James 2:8-11
“8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself, ”you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.”
Put simply, God doesn’t show favoritism. He is not racist. If we do/are, it’s sin.
One of the most important lessons we can teach our children is that each and every person has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). You are no better in God’s eyes than your child. Your child is no better in God’s eyes than anyone else. We have all fallen short of the glory of God. We are human and we have sinned.
Now, that isn’t to say that we aren’t special, unique, and loved greatly (Psalm 139:13-16). God has made each of us exactly how he wants us to be. The color of our skin, the texture of our hair, the pitch of our voice, the skills we possess, our interests – these are all brought together by God to create you. On purpose. How amazing!
As moms that are fulfilling our jobs to bring up our children in Christ, we need to teach and model these two concepts well. To summarize:
- When it comes to sin, we are all equal in God’s eyes. No one better than anyone else. If you sin in one area, it’s like you’ve sinned in all areas. (James 2:8-11)
- When it comes to who we are, we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. (Psalm 139: 13-16) He made no accidents or mistakes when he made us in our mother’s womb. We are special and loved deeply by our creator.
This lesson applies to many areas of life and we should be intentional about coming back to these two truths when teaching opportunities open up in our children’s lives. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, old or young, man or woman, beautiful or plain, minimalist or hoarder, fashionable or nerdy, popular or a loner, pale or dark. I don’t know about you, but the comfort that comes from knowing this is one of the greatest gifts I could be given.
When To Teach Your Children About Racism
The timing and the way that you teach your children about racism is between your family and God. In light of the horrific events in Charlottesville, my husband and I talked about it and agree that racism isn’t something we should directly teach our 3-year-old about right now. We live in a diverse city where he plays with children from many races, cultures, and who speak many different languages. He sees mommy and daddy doing the same. To him, this is a normal, everyday occurrence. If we were to bring up the fact that people have different skin colors, different hair, different accents, he would start pointing it out ALL THE TIME. Not out of a mean spirit, but it is how he processes things and shows mommy and daddy that he was listening. Other people don’t know that, so it’s definitely not something we want our kid doing at the grocery store!
For now, we will continue to live out God’s word by not showing favoritism to anyone, loving on each and every person that God brings into our life. We’ll continue to check out books that show people of different races and cultures, and continue to expose him to a variety of experiences that lives out God’s command that all are equal. One day, our son will be old enough to have questions about our differences or hear about world events fueled by racism. We’ll bring out the Bible and simply tell him what God says and commands of us. It’s as simple as that.
What’s appropriate for your family? Decide on what is appropriate for your children’s age and developmental maturity. Pray about it and make a plan. It might be waiting, or it might be to open the Bible over dinner tonight to start the discussion. Whatever it is, make sure that God and his Word is the center.
If you are interested in a resource to help you discussion racism and cultural diversity, the God Loves You Bible Storybook is a great one. Between each Bible story are real life stories of struggle and triumph from around the world. The image at the top of this post is taken from this book.
For more one day devotionals from Messy Tired Love, click here. To learn more about these devotionals for Christian moms, click here.
Welcome to Messy Tired Love! The devotionals you'll find here aim to connect your everyday mom moments to the truth of the gospel. I hold nothing back as I share my story that's filled with lots of messy, tired, but oh-so-filled-with-love moments. I have three little blessings, that together with God's Word are the inspiration for these devotionals. I hope you will be encouraged, and maybe even get a good laugh, while exploring these devotionals. Much love!
It’s definitely a delicate balance to learn when to add more information, it sounds like you’re doing everything right developmentally! I think it’s important to be open and honest with questions, as they grow they will ask more and want to know more.
Thanks, Melissa! There are so many things that are a balancing act with raising kids…this is a biggie.
This is a topic close to my heart. My youngest is 4 and half of her Pre-K class is non-white. We were talking about how to make friends and how it’s important to remember classmate’s names and compliment them on their clothes, bookbag, or shoes. She said “What about their skin? Can I say nice skin?” I told her we should probably avoid saying that. I wouldn’t want her to compliment a cashier at the grocery store about that either. Awkward! After what happened, I want to help but unsure how to go about it, but I can teach my kids to love like Jesus does!
Hi Alicia – how sweet of your child to want to complement someone on their skin! All of the different shades really are so beautiful. <3
I agree! Kids pick up so much from us, even when we think they aren’t paying attention. I also teach my kids that no one is superior; God made us all.
I’ve found that my son picks things up ESPECIALLY when I’m not paying attention. 😉
I think even a non-religious person could benefit from teaching their children that racism is wrong. These are definitely some good points.
Hi Kamie, I agree 100%. It’s an issue that needs to be eradicated by everyone.
I like how you tied this to the Bible, with a Biblical view. Thanks for sharing during such a touchy time in our history! 🙂
You’re welcome, John! Thanks for reading.
Such a thoughtful article. If we all kept Jesus’ teaching the center of our life this world would be such a different place. If we choose to love and not hate, what could this world achieve?
Yes! We have to keep looking to him or else everything falls apart. <3
This is such a timely article, in light of what has been going on in our country recently. It’s so important to teach our children that all people are loved and cherished by God equally, and should be by us as well. Thank you for sharing these insights!
I’m glad you found it helpful, Kourtney!
I am a teacher of younger children, and we casually talk about our differences. Just so they are aware of differences and accepting of them too.
Thanks for your thoughts, Anitra. That’s so great that you have a platform to guide young children to understand and process our differences. Feel free to share any specific tips or conversation starters that have worked for you!
I don’t have children. But, I think it’s extremely important to talk about race/racism. Many black parents talk about race/racism with their kids , especially young black boys, at a young age for (unfortunately) safety reasons. And it seems extreme, but the idea of what could happen, because it’s already happened (Tamir Rice) is very real. I understand your caution of pointing out differences, but I think instead of pointing anything out, I think trying a different approach would be better. Maybe start by asking your child about his friends and why he likes them and IF it comes up, you can use it as a teaching moment. Just because someone looks different doesn’t mean anything, because what’s inside matters. I appreciate your post and your willingness to discuss this in light of what’s going on in our country.
I agree – every family situation is different and how each child processes topics like this is different. When a child is old enough to have a conversation and understand the lesson, it’s time to discuss it as a family. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Yes, kids are ALWAYS paying attention, even when they aren’t! I grew up in VT, which has never been a very racially diverse state. We are becoming more diverse, yes. Thankfully even with the limitations on diversity when I grew up, I still raised my children to see that a human is a human is a human, regardless of color, sex, religion, etc. Because that’s how I was raised. We are all truly a product of our environments. This was a great article!
“We are all truly a product of our environments” – love this! It strengthens the role as moms to teach our children the right path. Thank you!
Great post. I am sharing with friends.
Thank you, Charlene!
Love this! I agree completely. Love how you have written it!
Thanks, Jenn!
Thankfully, this has not come up with my 4yo yet. Can’t say I’m looking forward to it, either. But living in the deep south, I do know it will have to be addressed at some point.
Beautiful post. God created us all and in his likeness. God will help guide us to raise kids that love others genuinely.
Thanks, Bola. I know I definitely couldn’t do it without God’s help. <3
I love this! Thank you for writing this. It’s so true. Especially as Christians we should be leading the example. My hope is that there is change as I watch what’s going on all around us.
-Elizebeth from BeautyofSelah
Thanks, Elizabeth, and you’re welcome!
Amen! Wonderful post! Growing up in the rural south and attending an almost all-white school didn’t offer many opportunities for cultural awareness. I can remember hearing racist comments and even jokes as a kid and not thinking much about it. But over the years, as I grew spiritually, God worked on my heart in this area. Thankfully, my own kids don’t even seem to notice race most of the time, and I believe they truly judge others by their character, not their skin tone, as we all should. Sadly, in this broken, fallen world we live in, racism still exists. Satan uses it as a tool to divide and distract , but God’s love is bigger! Teaching kids about racism is hard, but through His grace, we can do it. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Nicole,
Thank you for sharing a bit about your experience. I’m grateful this devotional touched your heart!