As my son got older I struggled with creating different ways to teach him about God. I didn’t just want to teach him but rather show him how to develop and nurture a spiritual relationship with Jesus. I started off with prayer, which we know is the single most important form of spiritual communication with Christ. I would encourage him to not only pray but to speak and give praise during his daily communion with the Lord. As he has grown I feel that the seasons are changing. About a year or two ago I introduced animated videos depicting amazing stories of the Bible. Now that he’s an avid reader we watch those videos and compare them to the literal stories in the Bible to identify differences and variations. This shift in teaching has been monumental, it’s a higher level of learning.
Prayer is a lifeline, that's the least you can teach them.
My son is engaged because it’s an animated film depicting a complex story in laymen terms. Now he’s able to take what he’s seen and put it into proper contexts when reading the Word. He is also learning to test biblical tools against the Word, the main source, to identify discrepancy. The Bible teaches us that in the end days there will be false prophets and false doctrines so it is vital for His people to know and understand the Word.
As a parent I do feel pressure at times to be a positive spiritual role model as well as teacher. I also want to be the type of parent that is a “doer” of the word, not just speak of it. Jacob knew who God was solely because of his father. He didn’t have a Bible like us; he had a parent that knew, trusted, and loved Christ. From that relationship alone Jacob knew that he should create and maintain the same type of relationship. That is what I want for my son.
#takemyfoolishadvice it’s never too late to teach your child about Christ and if you don’t know where to start, start with prayer. Then escalate to reading famous stories from the Bible and when you child is ready, encourage them to interpret what they understood from their lesson. This could be a reenactment through a short dramatization, a drawing/painting, or a story in their own words. The most important thing is to simply start.
Beloved,
AWalk
Great advice! My kids were memorizing verses when they first began to talk. That stuff stays with you forever!
Hey MamaMoo,
I love your username, so fun! Bible verses are a great way to introduce our little ones to Christ. I remember learning lots of them at Vacation Bible School. It helps kids dismiss that notion that the Bible is a big scary book for grown folks. Keep reading takemyfoolishadvice we’ll love to hear back from you.
Beloved,
AWalk
This was definitely not foolish advice….this was GREAT advice! Proverbs 22:6 says to “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Hey blessedzeta02,
Amen to that! Jacob knew to turn to Christ because he had seen his father do the same. No Bible, just his father’s direction and training. Keep the comments coming we certainly enjoy them.
Beloved,
AWalk