God’s Design Is For Kids To Be Outside

I was recently telling an older fella about my boys catching bugs and frogs and crawfish and anything else in the outdoors that they could get their hands on. I was still laughing, just thinking of the fun they had, when the man said in a deep tone, “You know, that sure is good for a young ’un.”

When I looked at the man’s face, he wasn’t laughing. He continued, “By being outside in God’s workshop, your kids are going to learn things other kids who stay inside won’t. They will learn the important stuff, what God wants them to know. If you can keep them outdoors, they will be successful. If nothing else, your boys will know how to take care of themselves.”

I felt the smile on my face melt as I thought of the significance of that man’s wisdom. He was right.

Later that day as I watched my two boys feeding apple pieces to a box turtle they had found, I pondered the importance of nature as a classroom. But then a sadness struck me. Modern schools put very little emphasis on the outdoors. Kids are trained to be productive members of society by fitting into the business world mostly. So, where does this nature education come into play for an adult in the workforce?

For many, it simply doesn’t. That’s unfortunate. It is the world we live in, a world where we don’t have to even see the sunlight if we don’t want to. Shut the curtains and stare at a computer screen, and ironically, you may make more money doing that than people who spend their days chasing bass, deer, turkeys and ducks.

But will you be fulfilled? Will you be glorifying God with the talents and interests that He gave you? Will you be who you are supposed to be? I’m pretty sure God did not make us to sit inside every day.

There is a balance that must be found in the American way of life. The emphasis tends to tilt way too heavily toward the work sector. You get rewarded for being committed to a job. It starts in school, like being recognized for not missing any days, etc. The more time you spend at work, the more praise (typically) you get from your boss and peers. Where are the societal rewards for a person taking time off work to take a kid hunting or fishing? Well, there aren’t any, but the rewards for investing something special in a child are limitless.

I hear so many excuses from adults, saying that they don’t have time to go hunting or fishing or camping. They have that almighty dollar to chase. “I’m providing for my family,” says the working-class parent. “I’m making money to take care of my kids, to give them a good life.”

I have two young boys and let me tell you the observed truth. Though they love gadgets and battery powered toys and video games, nothing makes them happier than to cast a line in the pond, go down to the river to catch crawfish, tadpoles and minnows, or walk in the woods to scout for buck signs with me. Those are not expensive activities, but they require my presence. They require the elusive time. Well, if time is money, then these times spent with children outdoors are some of the best investments you can make. You will never get that time back.

As I watched my kids playing with the critters they caught, I thought, “Why is this good for them?” I mean, if they just grow up to be on a computer and can make six figures from home with the help of AI driven programs, why does it matter that they can catch a grasshopper and then go down to the pond to catch a bream with it?

The answer was in the sky above me. Distantly, I heard the calls of a group of sandhill cranes. I strained my eyes to see the faraway V-formation of the traveling birds over south Georgia. Those cranes were glorifying God. They were doing what He created them to do.

My eyes came down to land on my two boys. One was admiring a crawfish while the other was laughing at the toad hopping at his feet. In that moment neither of them had a worry in the world. They had no clue what time it was. They had no clue what was for dinner. They had no clue what tomorrow would bring. And… there were no electronics involved. Those two boys of mine were living in the moment. They were being boys. They were being what God made them to be. My boys were glorifying God.

I realized that by getting my kids outdoors, I too was glorifying God in a way. I was helping teach a younger generation in God’s classroom where God is the Ultimate Teacher. I also was using an interest and passion that God put inside of me… an intense love for the outdoors.

As Romans 1:20 says: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

It is all around us, but we can’t see it as well by sitting inside.

How are you glorifying our Creator? It may be best to make some time soon to take a kid hunting or fishing or walking in the woods… because it just may be the most important thing you do.