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“And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” – Deuteronomy 6:7
Sitting at the table, I watched my granddaughter struggling to eat something that she did not like. Eventually I spoke up and told her what I did when I was her age: I would hold my nose so I could not taste my food. To my granddaughter’s surprise, it worked! Grandma was able to teach her a valuable lesson, and several weeks later, she passed the same idea to her younger sister.
As parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and family friends, we are role models. We need to be a good example to the little ones who watch us. We know they can learn our mannerisms and our tricks for eating foods we dislike, but there is something much more important that we want them to pick up from us—our faith in God. Our focus verse shows us that we have a daily responsibility to teach our children about Him. From the moment our children awake until they go to bed at night, no matter what we are doing, we want to reflect the Lord in our actions.
My grandmother was the only Christian in our home when I was a small child. I am not sure if she knew this verse, but her life was an example to me. She would read Bible stories to me and pray with me, and she made sure I knew about Jesus’ love. She taught me by example and planted a desire in my heart for Jesus, simply by the way she lived day in and day out.
Our children will notice if we have no fears because we trust in the God of our salvation. When they hear us tell how God has been there in times of sickness and hardship, it will continually point them to the God who is able to help in time of need. They will see if our strength comes daily from the joy we have in serving Jesus, and learn that we draw this joy from the well of salvation.
Are we teaching our children these things?
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