adapted from an article by Lisa Whelchel
Since the time my kids were toddlers,I’ve incorporated
“read your Bible” time into their daily routine, somewhere
between “brush your teeth” and “make your bed.” When they
were tiny, we used a simple picture Bible. As they’ve grown,
they’ve enjoyed our reading out of The Message, The Living
Bible, and The New Living Translation together. These
paraphrases and translations bring the stories to life and
the truths to heart.
The amount of reading we’ve recommended has varied depending
on their age. . . We’ve also purchased children’s devotions that
make thinking deeper about the Scriptures fun. . .
Of course, when it comes to shaping and molding, nothing’s as
effective as “modeling” clay. Make sure your son or daughter
catches you having your personal quiet time with the Lord.
"Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
Prepare
How are you building a spiritual foundation in the lives of your children? Share your ideas here!
We too have incorporated with Daniel reading the Bible. Just recently we moved from a picture Bible to a devotional and he really is enjoying it. We also pray with him each night, as well as during especially difficult times during the day or moments of great joy and even when it's just the same ol' day. Last fall as we were driving we came through this "tunnel" of beautiful trees, full of color. Daniel looked up and then exclaimed, "Thank you Jesus for these pretty trees!"
ReplyDeleteMy biggest thing I'm trying to get through to my boys is that a relationship with God is just that... relating. I don't know how many times Daniel has heard me talk with God throughout the day. He's quite used to hearing me singing, "Grace, Grace... MORE grace!" Telling Him "Lord, I don't really have time for this... where did I put my keys?? Oh... thanks!" And even getting off the phone after praying with a friend to find Daniel in the room with his head bowed, or asking me what was wrong so the two of us can pray about it. My mom taught me along time ago that praying to God is just... talking with Him. And I want my boys to know that as well. Tim reads his bible at the island each morning, and often it's still sitting there when we get up in the morning. Daniel wants to have me read something out of it just like his daddy does. :-)
Last week, after I put Daniel to bed he asked me to pray that Jesus would stay with him in his room (For some reason, he's developing a fear of the dark...). He told me, "I know you said I don't have to be afraid of the dark because Jesus is the light... so He needs to stay in here." I prayed then, told him if he still got nervous, just to tell Jesus about it. After I left the room I heard him say, "Well... you still here? Okay then... I'll turn on the light for you too." :-)