Parenting Priorities Series

“In our first years of marriage, we rented a small basement apartment. We were just beginning our life together, and didn’t have much money. The most attractive thing about our basement apartment was that it was affordable. Because it was a basement apartment, the ceilings were not full height. In fact the ceiling in our living room was only 6 feet above the floor. Because the ceilings were not full height, the door frames weren’t either. Can’t you just picture my 6 foot 7 inch frame lumbering through 6 foot doors and under 6 foot ceilings?

“That plaque hung above one of our six foot doorways. I can’t tell you how many times I hit my head on that plaque. Jolene would joke that the raised letters on the plaque had been literally impressed onto my forehead. This is not what it means in Deuteronomy when it says to bind these truths on your forehead. Because of this memory, that plaque, which hangs in our current home (with ceilings that are standard height), makes me smile sometimes. It also serves as a reminder of the important work that we have as parents. How do we pass these Christian truths on to our children? How do we apply Deuteronomy 6 in our homes?

“First, we check our own desire for God’s presence in our lives. How deep is our thirst for God? Do we want our children to follow Christ as we do, or do we want more for them than the walk WE walk? There is an old saying that is widely used in Christian education. “We cannot take others somewhere we have never been.” We can’t be spiritual tour guides of vistas that we have never seen. It doesn’t work that way.

“Secondly, we need to live our life. We show the Lord and His ways to our children in our everyday life, not just at church, or Sunday School. This is spontaneous stuff. It can’t be pre-planned. It is using teachable moments. When a Scripture verse is a response to a real-life experience, the verse becomes part of a child. We can ask God for those kinds of teachable, every-day moments. But capitalizing on teachable moments takes an investment of time with our children. Teachable moments won’t produce meaningful lessons if the teacher isn’t present.

“Thirdly, we have to be deliberate. Make prayer a priority in your home—not just at bedtime, or at meals. Share stories about what Christ has done in your life and in the lives of others. These stories show faith in action. Make Scripture memorization a priority. Hold your children accountable for their memorization. Don’t just require them to memorize Scripture because of a Sunday School lesson, or an Awana project. Scripture memorization is important for a successful Christian walk. Read the Bible with your children regularly, but also read it by yourself where your children can see you. Begin your day and end your day with traditions that place the family’s attention on the Lord.

“Fourthly, seek wise counsel from others. There is a myriad of resources for families. These can be purchased at Christian bookstores, found on the Internet, and even gleaned from the wisdom of others. Much of what WE do to intentionally share our faith with our children is borrowed. People who successfully practice this principle in their home have shared ideas with us.