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Making the Bible Real to Your
Children
by Ruth Willms Copyright 2008. All rights
reserved worldwide.
I remember as a child, gathering in a circle in our huge
dining room for family devotions. My dad, ever the Bible teacher, sat in the
circle with us. Our family consisted of sixteen individuals: Dad, Mom and
fourteen children. However, the time I’m remembering, two of my siblings were
already married and another two were living on their own. Still, among the ten
siblings present, there was a wide age range from about four years of age to
twenty three. Yet, I think my dad presented Bible truths so each one understood
and found it interesting.
He met us at our level. And that is what I think the
answer is to making the Bible real to our children. We need to meet our children
right where they are in their life right now, cognitively and spiritually and in
all their interests. After all, that’s what God our heavenly Father did, didn’t
He? He met us in our human form by sending us Jesus in human form.
If you want to teach your children of God’s great love for
them you would show it differently to each age group. Even at two years of age
and younger you portray God’s love by hugging your children and telling them you
love them and Jesus loves them too. You plant seeds by telling them about Jesus
and the children.
You enlarge on this fact when you romp on the floor with
your older preschooler and then draw him close to you saying, “You are so
special to me! And know what, you are special to Jesus too!”
When your elementary school age child rushes into your
kitchen after school, heartbroken because his supposedly best friend told him to
beat it, you hug him first, of course. But you remind him of the deeper love of
Jesus that really fills him and matters at the end. Hopefully, you also remind
him of his other good friends and family who think the world of him, as Jesus
does.
Then there is your teenager. Since I found this stage the
hardest as a parent I always want to say tread softly and cautiously with your
teenager. That’s because I relate better to preschoolers or elementary aged
children. You probably relate even better with your teenager then with your two
year old who has temper tantrums for no reason at all.
During that teen age stage of my children I sometimes
wanted to pile love on with fear. When they chose to do their own thing instead
of what I was hoping for I felt like reminding them of Jonah. You know, the man
who thought he was running away from God and hid in a ship. God showed His love
by landing him in the belly of a big fish for three days. That was real time
out. But He did it because He loved Jonah and knew he would mature to do great
things for God. He really met Jonah at his level of understanding, don’t you
think so?
Seriously, though, you need to do more that remind them
that God loves them more than you do and accepts them unconditionally. You need
to remind them that you love them and value them and accept them unconditionally
too. Then you hope and pray they grow through this stage of rebellion too. And
you know what? He is faithful. He usually does but on His terms not ours.
Blessings,
Ruth
This article was originally printed in Ruth's
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