By Michael Kelley

Our kids have been in Sunday School since before they were born. Because they have, they have grown up hearing about Noah’s ark. And Joshua and the battle of Jericho. And Abraham and Isaac. They’re not unique; there are a lot of kids that are familiar with a lot of Bible stories like these. So much so that we, as adults, tend to classify stories like these as “kids’ Bible stories.”

That’s fine, as long as what we mean is that these are good stories for children to hear and learn. But it’s not fine if we think that means these stories are ONLY for children.

In fact, there are some really good reasons why grownups need to read these kids’ stories. Here are three of them:

1. Because there really are no “kids’ Bible stories.”

When we talk about Bible stories for kids, what we mean are the stories that pretty much everyone knows. They’re the ones that are on nursery walls, in picture books, and are summarized in just a few words. Okay, so these are good stories for kids, but to think that these stories are only for children is a huge mistake.

Take Adam and Eve, for example. Though you could walk into a lot of preschool classrooms and find this story in a book, it’s a story that needs to be read and re-read over and over again by people of all ages. This is the story that tells us who we are. And not only that, it’s the story that tells us what’s wrong with us.

2. Because we are all children.

We wear the tent of adulthood, but boil it all away, and we are the children of God for all eternity. Oh, sure – it’s easy to forget that. It’s easy to get swept up into the everyday life of bills and mortgages and elections and all the other super-adult things we have to (and should) be doing. But way down deep we are children. It’s good to be reminded of that, and that’s what these so-called “kids’ Bible stories” do.

They remind us that in the midst of all the complexity there is still simplicity, and that every day is made up of a lot of singular choices which, at the core, are really based in whether or not we believe our Father loves and provides for us.

3. Because we need to be more childlike.

When the children were pressing in on Jesus and the disciples made to send them away, Jesus would have none of it:

“Don’t stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Matt. 19:14).

Not only should the disciples have welcomed the children; they should have looked to them as an example! That’s because children are simple. Joyful. Trusting. Unselfconscious. Just as we should be as the children of God. When we read these stories that are considered to be for kids, we have the chance to read them with wonder. With joy. With amazement. And in so doing, to move a step closer to being more childlike in our own faith.

It is a glorious thing to be a child. It is an unmistakable miracle to be a child of God.

Michael Kelley is a husband, father of three, author, and speaker from Nashville, TN. His latest book is a year-long family devotional guide called The Whole Story for the Whole Family. Find his personal blog at michaelkelley.co.