Part 5 - Share The Love
Parents are typically smarter than their kids. At least until a certain point and it also depends on the topic. I can find my way around a computer with ease (something I’ve always been able to do). However, I am amazed at how even my 4 year old can navigate the computer, my 2 year old understands my iPhone’s interface. They just know things that I remember learning as an adult. I know it’s only a matter of time before they outgrow my technological abilities and probably other areas as well. In terms of the Bible most parents start off knowing more about it than their kids. Mainly because they have been exposed to it more often. Often some kids outgrow their parents’ knowledge of the scriptures and this is not always a bad thing or a sign of parental negligence. Many times it can be a sign of a really good thing. Maybe your child has been called to full-time ministry or as a missionary or just to devote their lives to following hard after Christ. In that case you would want them to learn all they can learn.
But for this section, let’s assume that you are a parent who does have some skill or knowledge about the Bible. In the planning of your devotions with your kids it would be easy for you to take complete leadership and authority in all areas. After all, you know the stories, you know the main idea of the text, and you know how to teach it even in an understandable way relevant to their age and personality. However, my suggestion is that if you as the parent (or parents) always take the lead role in planning and overseeing the “family devotion” then you are missing out on a great opportunity to teach your kids.
Let your kids take ownership in the planning!
Let them choose the topic/story/verse/theme/song/etc.
Tell your child, “Today, you get to pick out what verse we are going to read.” You may also let them choose a certain topic or theme to discuss as a family. Depending on their age this can be either spontaneous or planned. For example, you may say to an older child, “Friday is your day! You get to pick out what we’re going to read, do, sing, go, make, etc.” This helps them take ownership for sure but it also does other things. It gives you a break from the planning process and it teaches the other children (if any) of what to expect and offers some level of excitement for when they get to do likewise.
For example, We’ve asked our oldest to plan the whole thing before. She began by having everyone sit in the living room floor and had us read a verse from her bible. Then she talked about what that verse meant to her and ways we could implement it in our day. Then she picked a couple of songs to sing and said a prayer. Was it simple? Yes it was simple, the whole thing took maybe 5 minutes. However, I was so proud of her for planning and taking an active role in both studying the Bible and loving her family.
(Note: What about kids who have not made a decision to follow Jesus Christ? While you should not exclude them from the process, you probably should not expect them to handle (with certainty) the truths of the Bible. After all, the Holy Spirit is the one who reveals Scripture to us and a child who is not a believer in Christ does not have the Holy Spirit living inside of them as that revelation). Involve them just the same but do not expect them to be able to do something they are not capable of doing).
Don’t get too picky or theological
One of the hard things for me is to keep myself reigned when we start talking about certain topics. I want my kids to be familiar with theological terms and those confusing Bible words. However I also have to remind myself that I have over 20 years of experience thinking about God and they have only a few or even no experience. So when your kids read a passage of scripture and don’t understand it or even understand it incorrectly, it is important to have grace. Sometimes you just have to smile and say, “That’s right honey.” Other times you may need to gently redirect. Still others, you may need to keep your mouth shut and not use those big words you so desperately want to. Plus, the more you spend time in the Bible with your family, you might get lucky enough to have those moments when your kid says something so innocent and harmless that you’ve never thought about before and you realize that they have just taught you something about God in their childlike faith. Soak those moments in... those times are truly precious.
To be honest, you as a parent could do it all. You could sit everyone down, every day, and do a verse-by-verse study through one of Paul’s epistles. Your kids would endure it. They would answer with all the correct answers. They would sing all the right songs. They would pray all your prayers, and you would probably walk away feeling accomplished and fulfilled. But as a parent myself, I would call that a failure. After all, we are not out to simply modify their behavior or water down their brain with theory, we want their hearts! We’re not merely giving them the “right” answers, we want them to seek God. You could do it all, but why on earth would you ever want to rob your kids of the joy they would find in doing it for themselves?
(next time: What can you do away from home that help build a spiritual legacy?)
Read More:
Part 1 - The Importance of a Legacy
Part 2 - Preparation
Part 3 - The Struggle
Part 4 - At Home
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About Me
Husband to 1 wife, daddy to 4 kids, ravenous consumer of peanut butter.
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