The Importance of Reading the Bible to Your Children.
I was raised in a Christian family. I heard the name of God from an early age but my family did not practice Christianity. My mother went to church from time to time when I was really young but usually I attended with my grandmother. As I grew older she went less and less and so did I. I have no memories of my father coming along with me.
I won my first Bible at an Easter egg hunt at my grandmother’s church and I still have it today. When I tried to read it as a child it was confusing and the story line was difficult to follow. I set it on a shelf and
drifted away from God for some time.
I was taught about a condemning God. Many times in Bible study I was told if I was bad I would go to hell. I will not say that is inaccurate but let’s remember to teach our children the importance of repentance and forgiveness and how to do it. That is one of God’s greatest aspects that the Bible speaks of often. Don’t forget to explain that we all fall short and these fleshy bodies have a lot of sinful desires. Shame and embarrassment should not weigh so heavily that they fear it is too much for God himself. Teach them to lay their burdens at His feet and ask for forgiveness. When struggling with addiction or temptation, pray for strength and guidance. God will never tempt someone beyond their limit and will always give a way out.
It is our job as parents to take the Bible and make it digestible for our children. We must start at a young age and continue to teach at any given opportunity. If a child sees a parent reading a Bible they will too. If a parent reads the Bible to them they will gain better understanding and be able to ask questions along the way. Going to church and sitting in a pew is not enough to light a fire for God in our children’s hearts. We must play an active role and help kindle that fire while they are young and well into adulthood. We must not rely only on a preacher to teach us the Bible, we must read it for ourselves also.
Where would I be today if my parents would have shown more initiative? How much bigger would my knowledge base be if I had examples to follow. Would I have a deeper understanding if I did have that particular head start? I am not downing or judging my parents, I am sure they did this best they could, just as I am trying to do today. Having children causes internal searching as we desire to provide better for our children. We must heal ourselves to no longer repeat the undesired behavior.
I am determined to teach my children better than I was taught.
I do Bible study weekly consisting of worksheets and reading from the Bible. We pray together and worship together. I noticed one day my son had little understanding of how to look up Bible verses. He knew there were chapters and verses but struggled to find any particular one when asked. I realized I had always provided that information and had created a gap in his comprehension. I adjusted our study activities and he has grown because of it.
I try to make study time fun and engaging especially for the younger ones. Crafts, mazes, coloring pages, counting, odd one out, find the differences and word searches are great ways to keep lessons engaging. I take the time to read aloud the word of God hoping I can hardwire His internal monologue into their brains. A quick web search can bring up thousands of free printable worksheets that suit children at all stages of learning. I use Trueway Kids for Bible study lessons but there are hundreds of others. Let’s give our children a head start. Let’s give them the armor of God to wear with confidence and knowledge to assist them their whole life. Let’s implant the word of God into their minds so it’s louder than the wickedness of the world. Prepare them for the battles and struggles before then. Only God can be with them when no one else can.
