Raising Kids: Windscreen Wipers, Confusion, and Clarity

One of the joys my wife and I share in raising our kids is searching for meaning in the everyday, ordinary things. But not just any old meaning—God-pointing, faith-building, gospel-centred meaning designed to put down roots. Making it fun and natural along the way helps.

In this lesson: Spiritual clarity versus spiritual confusion.

I confess, finding spiritual lessons in the mundane isn't always easy. I don't think there are any hard-and-fast rules either. For me, it's very much a case of winging it (most of the time)—trusting that my daily Bible reading and prayer is the spring from which I draw. In fact, some well-intended "searching for meaning" stories are probably best left in the "nah, that didn't quite land" pile. Nevertheless, my wife and I still enjoy finding creative ways to try and swing natural conversations to the spiritual—and vice versa—especially where a gospel nugget can be uncovered and hands can be rubbed together in sheer delight.

During the return leg of a recent school run, I got to do just that with my two children—namely, draw from the well and turn an ordinary observation into a conversation about faith. According to the UK's Met Office, parts of the UK have seen record-breaking rainfall. Our drive home was during one of those days of non-stop, incessant rainfall. My tireless, dutiful windscreen wipers were working overtime—which got me thinking. Cue dad spiritual lesson time! The conversation went something like this:

Dad: Hey girls, look at the windscreen. What do you notice?

Kid 1: Wet! Very wet!

Kid 2: Rain.

Dad: Yes, and what is the "wet rain" causing to happen?

Kid 1: Blurriness. Is that even a word?

Dad: I think so. But, yes, you got it! It's making things difficult to see, right? Here's another question: What would happen if the windscreen wipers didn't work?

Kid 2: It would probably cause us to crash, I think.

Dad: Yup, probably. Scary thought, huh? What function do the wipers serve?

Kid 1: Mmm, they get rid of the rain?

Dad: Exactly. But they also do something else—they provide the driver with clarity. A clear windscreen to see what's going on ahead of us.

Kid 1 and Kid 2: (both disinterestedly) "Oohhhhh."

Kid 1: I didn't even know that was a word.

Dad: Which word?

Kid 1: Clarity.

Dad: Yup, it sure is. C-L-A-R-I-T-Y—clarity.

At this point, both are beginning to look a little disinterested. Who can blame them right? A conversation on a rather drab, rainy day about windscreen wipers is a snooze-fest—especially after a long day at school. But wait, there's still hope (love really does hope all things!) for this spiritual lesson.

Dad: Next question. What's the opposite of clarity?

And just like that, they're back in the room. To be honest, at this point, I'm totally winging it. I've asked the kids a question to which I'm not entirely sure I know the answer. Thankfully, the first word that comes into my head is "confusion." Back to the dialogue.

Kid 1: Not really sure, Papa.

Dad: That's OK—the opposite of clarity is confusion. If these windscreen wipers suddenly stopped working, we'd all be a little confused, right? Our journey home would be a little different. So, how important is clarity? At some point in your life, you will come across confusion. In fact, life may often get blurry. But God can bring clarity to you through His Word. So, stay close to God's Word.

Kid 1 and Kid 2: Okay, Papa.

And just like that, no sooner had this briefest of to-ing and fro-ing conversation ended, their little minds were already distracted by the McDonald's golden arches. Cue dad buying the nuggets time!

Some final thoughts

I get it, this impromptu spiritual lesson isn't going to win any theological prizes anytime soon. But the key isn't to win prizes; it's to plant seeds. Seeds that will remain fixed, ready for watering and growth. I think creating word associations in those little minds can be quite a useful strategy here.

Clarity > Bible > God

Need clarity? > Open Bible > Meet God

I need clarity > Open my Bible > Meet my God

Scripture verses to consider

For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. (1 Corinthians 14:33)

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 119:105)

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