By: Cassia Glass - Houston, Texas
The single, greatest commission given to you as a parent is to teach your children God’s Word and to introduce them to the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing else has the capability of bringing life to their very spirits. And no one, not a pastor, not a Sunday school teacher, no one can do it exactly like you can, imperfect though it may be. There are fantastic bible teachers out there, and I hope all of our kids have the chance to learn from them. But at the end of the day, no one on this side of heaven loves your children the way you do, and no one can present God’s words wrapped up in that love in quite the same way.
So how do we do it? How to we talk to squirmy preschoolers or busy older kids about God? How do we keep from boring them (and sometimes ourselves, if we’re really being honest!) with dry readings and lectures? Here are three ways that have helped me:
Nature is a great teacher. As a girl at Camp Maranook, I learned to look for parallels between what we saw in nature and what we were learning about God. When we came to a bridge or log across a stream, our counselor related it to the bridge Christ made between God and humans. Then, she challenged us to find ways to illustrate other principles using nature. For instance, we could talk of how God was our rock, looking at the strength and durability of stones along the path. The path itself and walking along it illustrated the narrow way to God through Christ and the need to have a light for our feet through His Word. To this day, taking things from nature or everyday life and relating them to biblical principles remains one of my favorite ways of teaching and is often one of the main ways God still teaches me. I will never forget when, as a young adult battling anxiety and depression, I was struck by Jesus’ words, “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” (Luke 12:24) Here was my Lord reminding me to stop and actually consider the birds, to slow down and take the time to look up at them in their flight, to watch them as they fed from what He provided in nature, and to learn the true depth of His love for me! The slowing down and “considering” was part of His answer for my healing. So now I am always looking for God’s messages to me and to my family in His amazing creation.
Music has been another important tool. Why say it when you can sing it? Simple praise songs prepare the heart to hear God’s word, ministering to the emotions and the soul. They also make scriptures and biblical concepts easier to remember. I made up a song a few years ago when I was teaching the kids from John 15, in which Jesus says that He is the vine. It is a happy, silly song with hand motions that we (try to) sing as a round:
You are the vine, vine, vine. You are the vine, vine, vine.
We are the branches. We are the branches.
We’ll bear much fruit. We’ll bear much fruit
When you pru-u-u-u-ne us. Oh when you pru-u-u-u-ne us.
You better believe that anytime someone starts talking about Jesus as the true vine, my kids start singing that song! You don’t have to come up with your own songs, though. Simple songs like “Jesus loves me” are a great outline for a devotional – Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so. You can go on a treasure hunt with your kids for verses about God’s love and give this song great meaning for your whole family.
Finally, we make use of family devotional materials and Bible translations that are easy to understand. I also keep these materials in spots where they are easy to grab during the busy week. When the kids were very young, we used Zonderkidz’s The Beginner’s Bible at bedtime when little ones seemed most ready to hear. Now that the kids are older, we keep a copy of Tyndale Publishing’s The One Year Devotions for Kids, a copy of The Message and an NIV Bible near the kitchen table for moments when we are all together for meals. Sometimes I read to them while they are eating breakfast, letting God’s word wash over them before school, and sometimes we discuss material right after dinner before we all go our separate ways for the evening. We walk through scripture passages line by line—I often interject definitions or explanations for hard terms while we read—and I ask them to talk to me about what it means to them. Our kids have their own bibles, and we let them read portions of scripture to us during family times so that they can begin taking ownership for reading and studying on their own.
As our oldest edges toward middle school, we have helped him find bible studies that can take him deeper on his own, too. I am acutely aware that not too many years from now, I will pass the baton to those dear children, and they will not have me teaching them. But if I’ve taught them to open their eyes to see God’s messages all around, to hear His melody in songs and hymns, and to let His holy Word penetrate their hearts, then I have great hopes that they will continue to learn about God and someday teach their own children, too.
