First Grade Christianity

“Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” –Psalm 19:12 (ESV)

As children learn to write, teachers in different grades focus on different errors. For example, they start by teaching children to capitalize the first word of every sentence and to put a period at the end. They correct spelling in words the children have learned, leaving more challenging words misspelled for future lessons. In fact, my oldest son’s first grade teacher was so determined her students would learn to love to write, she would have them journal every day and wouldn’t correct a thing! She taught simple spelling and grammar, but not through their writing journals. Her goal for her students was not perfection in first grade, but improvement over time as they experienced the joy of writing words.

If teachers were to correct all the errors all at once right from the start, the children would become overwhelmed very quickly. They’d feel discouraged and might even give up. Good teachers don’t want this; they want the children to learn and improve.

I think God does the same with us.

When we first become Christians, He forgives our sin. We joyfully begin living the Christian life, following Him, submitting to His teaching. But Christian perfection is a process. We may not willfully sin, and we know to ask forgiveness and make things right if we do. Yet we may still have faults in our thinking and attitudes, like misplaced commas and misspelled words. If God were to reveal these all at once, we would become overwhelmed very quickly, feel discouraged, and maybe even give up. So, wisely, He teaches one lesson at a time. His goal for us is not perfection in first grade, but improvement over time as we experience the joy of walking with Him.

Teacher God, only You can discern our errors. Please declare us innocent from hidden faults as we joyfully walk with You. Reveal our imperfections over time, in Your time, at a pace we can handle. Make us more like You as we delight in life with You. Thank You, gracious Lord. Amen.