Not Alone: Trusting God to Help You Raise Godly Kids in a Spiritually Mismatched Home (9 page)

Make a game of memorizing Scripture verses with your children. Offer a prize or reward for their effort. Spend time sharing Bible stories, and sing songs full of Scripture. There are a thousand and one ways to bring God’s Word into your home.

Recently I asked some of our readers how they shared the Bible and prayer with their kids. They are ordinary moms just like us who are living out their faith in front of their kids’ ever-watchful eyes. I asked them this question: “When and how have you captured a teachable moment with one or all of your children.” Here are just a few of their responses:

These moments are daily. My children see me with my Bible; they know I get up early to have quiet time. I read a devotion with them daily called
Jesus Calling
by Sarah Young. I also encourage them to pray out loud with me. Everyone gets a turn, and our prayer time continues as the requests or prayers pop into our minds. We call these “popcorn prayers.”

I also drive my kids and the little neighbor girl across the street to school every morning. This little girl does not attend church and knows nothing about Christ. For the last year and a half, she has been subjected to my kids and me putting on the Lord’s armor in the car on the way to school. She now knows that as soon as we leave the house, we put on our armor to start off our day, and she puts her armor on too. It’s the children (and adults) we least expect who are watching and learning from us. I praise God for this time in the morning with this little girl and my kids. —Debra

We started at an early age having devotions geared to their age level. When they were small, we read Bible stories at night together. As they grew older, the devotions were usually read while sitting at the breakfast table before they went off to school for the day. —Martha

I read a short story from a children’s Bible, and we sing a praise song or hymn each night at bedtime. “Jesus Loves Me” has become a favorite. Because they are very young, I sometimes use figurines and toys to act out Bible stories—it’s simple, but it really holds their attention and makes the story come to life for them—and for me. —Gillian

It’s never too late to impact your kids with God’s Word and with prayer. Ask God to open up opportunities, and then jump in. For more ideas from everyday, ordinary moms who are sharing their faith with the next generation, visit our ministry site,
www.mismatchedandthriving.com
.

Discovery

We have opportunities every day to share our faith with our children. I’ve found this part of parenting to be a rich adventure. I’m often surprised and delighted by the Lord as He arranges a spontaneous moment for me to share His love or a truth and His holy Word with my family. Join me now, and let’s come up with a few more ideas on how to share prayer and the Bible with our kids.

1. As a mom, how do you model to your kids prayer and Bible reading as part of your relationship with God? How are you intentional in this area?

2. Is it possible to be the spiritual leader of your home and also to honor your husband as the leader in other areas? What does that look like in your daily life? Consider whether you need to make some changes in this area of your marriage relationship.

3. Look up Deuteronomy 6:6-7. How does this passage inspire you today? What would living out this passage on an everyday basis look like?

4. Describe an effective intentional moment in which you purposefully shared your faith, the Bible or prayer with your child/children?

5. Describe a catchable moment. How did it arise, and how did you respond to it?

6. Describe a moment that you missed. Pray now, and ask the Lord to make you keenly aware of these kinds of moments in the future.

7. Write down (or share) a few ideas for creating intentional moments that you would like to implement in your home.

Prayer

O Father, may all I do when sharing my faith with my children be centered in a relationship with You. Allow my children to find me reading my Bible, and let them catch me on my knees in prayer. Help me to share Your wisdom from Your holy Word and to give them the ability to use their sword to fight for justice, for love and for Your kingdom. I ask, Father, that prayer would be my children’s first thought in the morning, that my children would talk with You throughout their day, and that they would end every night in conversation with You. Lord, it’s this kind of relationship that will prosper them throughout their entire lives.

Lord, from this day forward make me keenly aware of teachable moments when they arrive. In those precious minutes I ask that You speak Your truth through me in a way that impacts my children for their good and Your glory. Create in our home a place where the Bible is treasured and read. Lord, let our prayers move Your heart, and lead us to live a life in Your presence.

Lord, I ask that through the years I have of sharing the Bible and praying with my kids, You will help me make it a grand adventure for them. Let my kids and me marvel at Your Word as it comes to life, and let answered prayer be commonplace in our home. Let the practical living of faith be so second nature that it lasts a lifetime. Finally, Lord, let my children’s faith become the faith of their children. May the prayers and efforts of this ordinary mom be of lasting consequence for generations to come. I ask all these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.

Respecting Dad

Sharing the Bible and praying can become a tricky matter if Dad objects to our faith or is even hostile to it. However, carving out moments with our kids that don’t directly confront Dad can be easily achieved. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 tells us to share God’s precepts with our children when we sit at home and when we walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up. I think that is all we need do. Just talk about God’s Word as it comes up in daily living, whether you’re sitting at home or traveling in the car. Model prayer and Bible reading in the morning and before bedtime. This kind of living out your faith in front of little eyes is powerful, and it’s respectful of Dad.

I also believe that the prayers of little ones asking for Daddy to know Jesus are greatly honored in heaven. The faith of a child can move mountains.

Note

1. Resurrection Eggs can be purchased through the ministry of Family Life at
www.familylife.com
.