Last week Saturday, I slept in and woke up quite late. My children were already awake before I got up and when I went to their room, I saw one reading the Bible and the other reading a story book.
My son was reading his Bible and his words as I entered his room were, 'Mummy, I found something interesting in the Bible. Let me show you.' And he proceeded to show me three interesting things he had found while reading the Bible himself. 😁. Then, my daughter picked her Bible and began to also show me some interesting verses in Psalms.
We had a terrific Saturday morning swapping Bible knowledge, stories and insights, and I rejoiced that they didn't find God's word boring or a drudgery to engage in.
This morning as I packed their food for school, I began to meditate on some of the things I am doing to make God's word an important part of my children's daily lives. I will share seven of them with you.
1. They see us read the Bible: Hubby and I don't only read the Bible in secret, we read it in the open where they can see. And we don't call them to sit and carry their Bibles to read while we do. They just watch what we do and conclude that it must be very important. Then, they copy us.
2.I got them their Bibles: This is very important if you want to nurture your child's curiousity about God's word. They won't be very interested in reading God's word for themselves if they have to always borrow your Bible or come to your room to get it. Let them have one, and don't worry if they tear it. My children's Bible look like it has gone through fire, but that's totally fine. A well-worn book is a sign of usage. If having a beautiful Bible without wear and tear is your aim, then, your child might lose interest in reading the Bible because of all the times you scold them for tearing it. Leave them to read as they want and don't let them associate Bible reading with mummy's scolding. I jokingly tell my daughter that she has eaten some part of her Bible because they are nowhere to be found. And if you are asking what I will do when the Bible becomes unrecognizable, I will simply buy another one for them.
3.I discuss what I discover in the Bible with them: Whenever I hit a gold mine in the Scriptures, I excitedly call them if they are around to come and hear what I found. They are used to mummy's Bible rantings and they are now learning to loop me into their amazing Bible discoveries.
4.I teach them the Bible: Yep! We have Bible teaching sessions at home which I prepare for. Sometimes, I take the time to prepare before I teach them and sometimes, we have spontaneous teachings. This morning after breakfast, we had an awesome teaching on Revelations 12. It was spontaneous and was borne out of something my son had discovered in the Bible earlier.
5.We dramatize Bible stories: There was a time we went to a small patch of land in front of the house to plant beans seeds as a demonstration of the parable of the sower. Our beans plants have grown and we are already harvesting the beans. It will be a constant reminder of that lesson. When you dramatize Bible stories, they come alive. They leave the pages of the book to brand themselves on the heart. You should make time for this more often because it will stir your child's hunger to study the Bible himself.
6.They memorize Bible verses: This is an offshoot of the other things we do. I have discovered that when you keep this at the front burner, you will try to force your child to do what they are not interested in. You might even get them to memorize the Scriptures, but they won't seek to know God in what they memorize and might be unable to relate what is in their memory to their lives. Stir up their hunger for God's word and memorizing it will be digging deeper to know the God they have come to love.
7.We pray for them: This cannot be overemphasized. Pray for your child to love God's word and ask Jesus to help them read it themselves. Pray for them to hunger and thirst after His Presence, WORD and Spirit. God says to tell you, "So far you haven’t asked for anything in my name. Keep asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.” John 16:24. ISV
God wants His word to come alive to your child and you are His first mirror for this. If you don't have time to read God's word or you don't find it interesting, I pray the Lord gives you a fresh hunger that will drive you to make His Word top priority in your life and home. You can start by asking Him to renew your desire and give you understanding. He wants you to know Him much more than you can ever want to.
Did this bless you? Which of the points do you intend to lay more emphasis on in your home? Kindly comment.
Soon, my article on the types of parents will drop. Stay tuned for this and other insightful parenting articles.
The picture below is our small beans garden, born out of the demonstration of the parable of the sower. May our children flourish in God luxuriantly like these plants.
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