Listen, That Ain’t Me!
I came to Christ as an adult. While I did grow up attending church, I didn’t really have a super strong foundation of biblical understanding. Once I became a Christian I was dedicated and intentional about my growth in the knowledge of God and of the knowledge of the Scriptures. It’s fair to say I took it pretty seriously.
However, once I started having kids, I began to read my kids’ children’s Bible to them on a very consistent basis. I can honestly say that I learned more through this process than I ever thought possible.
I mean, I had logged tons of hours in the Bible as a young, single Christian and as a young, married man. But now that I had kids I was quite surprised at what type of big picture understanding I gained from simply reading a children’s Bible to my kids.
An amazing transformation happens when we have kids. There is this pronounced sense of responsibility in so many different ways. As a children's pastor of a large church, I celebrated when parents who had no real personal interest in spiritual matters themselves, began to develop a sense of urgency to pass on spiritual things to their kids. The sense of responsibility is very real.
Though we feel this internal sense of responsibility, some parents say, “I am just not that person. I am not the creative, kid type. My spouse is so much better at that than me.”
This may be true. Yet, if you can read, you can lead. You may reply, “I just don’t know the Bible that well.” I completely understand. However, I have learned tons from reading children’s Bibles aloud to my kids. Just do it. Jump in and chronologically read the children’s Bible to your kids. All you have to do is remain faithful. You’d be surprised what you will learn as well.
An amazing transformation happens when our kids are in their pajamas and laying down to bed. For some reason, it seems as if they are more vulnerable, more open to love, discussion, and instruction. These amazing moments, though fleeting, are ripe for opportunity.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect with your kids through reading the Bible. Your kids are hungry. I understand — at the end of the day we are tired. I am tired. However, we have one shot at this parenting thing. I don’t want to look back and see that I wasted so much precious opportunity.
If you can read, you can lead. Start small, start tonight.
- Recall: What is one simple way to pass on your faith to your children?
- Reflect: Have you been consistently using your opportunity to read the Bible with your children, or wasting it?
- Respond: What time of the day would work best to start consistently reading the Bible with your children? At the breakfast table, before bed, when you first wake up?
- Rethink: What can you do right now to start reading the Bible with your children?