I don't think any parent goes into this journey saying, "I hope in the end, after all the money and memories and messes, I can stand back and say, I raised a fool!"
So your kid knows their ABCs, multiplication table, techniques to win the game, and etiquette to get around kindly in society... great. All of that is important. But do they know the Word? Because that’s what will satisfy and sustain them. The world‘s way will lead to distress and destruction but The Word is a light leading to life. Teaching your child the Bible is the difference in raising the fool or raising the wise.
Take a dive into Proverbs and you'll quickly see the stark difference between the life of a fool and a life the wise.
Here are a few of the many verses that describe the wise and foolish:
Proverbs 12:16, "A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted."
Proverbs 18:2, "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."
Proverbs 29:11, "A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back."
Proverbs 13:20,"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm."
Proverbs 14:16, "One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless."
In a culture of chaos and confusion, The ONLY true thing we have is scripture. Everything else is sinking sand that will leave us stuck and suffocated. Opinions, aritcles, textbooks, videos, you name it..... these can be used for knowledge, but it won't make you wise. Wisdom comes from the Word of God.
As we raise children, grow marriages, and lead ourselves I’m begging us to use Scripture as our guide.
One of my goals this year (and life) is to intentionally put scripture in front of my family in honoring our Deuteronomy 6 parent command: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deut 6:5-9
As a parent, our ultimate goal isn't to give our kids great Christmas gifts, family vacations, or get them into the best college. The greatest goal is to display a real living faith and friendship with Jesus. It is to put the Word of God in them and pray the Lord opens their spiritual eyes to see the joy of walking in His ways.
A practical way to get scripture inside of your children is to put scripture in front of their eyes.
For you this might look like keeping a basket of Bibles on your kitchen table for a mealtime Bible study each morning.
Maybe it’s writing a monthly verse on your family calendar or bathroom mirror where everyone can see and ponder on.
Perhaps you encourage your spouse or teenagers to set their phone lock screen as a picture of a scripture.
Perhaps it looks like pulling up a news article or twitter thread and dissecting it with scripture.
Growing up, my mom created ”Courage Cards” Which were cardstock cards with a printed scripture passage. On the way to school we would read our courage card.
You could have a daily scripture sent to your phone or email with YouVersion.
The list could go on and on and on and I pray you ask Holy Spirit to give you ideas on how to incorporate the Word into your home.
For our family it looks like :
- Ryan and I read a Bible reading plan with our faith community. (If you need a plan or place join us! BWOC link here.)
-We keep Bibles out on nightstands to remind us to read, and do our Bible time on our own. (Side note: I always thought when I got married I would wake up with my spouse, pour coffee into our Mr. and Mrs. mugs and cuddle and read and cry and dive deep into scripture together. We tried. But it honestly caused more frustration than faith. Simply put... I'm a morning person and Ryan is not. Ha! I think it’s great if you’re the couple that can sit and read the Word together but we are not. (So let me release you of that pressure if you’ve put it on your marriage!)
- We also are in two text groups with a few church friends and we daily contribute favorite scriptures or revelations. (I’m in one with girls and he’s in one with guys. This is great for friendship and accountability).
- Oliver is almost two but it is never too early to show the focus of the Bible. To make things exciting and age appropriate I am creating an art scripture book. Every Sunday I am going to write a scripture on a white piece of paper. Then Oliver will decorate it sometime throughout the week when it works out. This week it was done on a Tuesday with paint. Next week it might be Monday with stickers. It is displayed on our refrigerator for repetition throughout the week. Then I’m putting it in a page protector book I found in a closet so he’ll have a full scripture book by the end of the year. Each week I’ll post a picture of Oliver’s scripture on Instagram if you’re interested in making scripture art with your little one too and need some verse recommendations.
- Eleanor is my morning buddy so she gets scripture as I do my morning “mom prayers” seen above in the picture.
Friends, be encouraged! This doesn’t have to be complicated. Find ways to put scripture in front of you.
The World has enough foolishness. We need, more than ever to anchor our homes in the Word of God.
Grace and Peace to You,
Abby
*** Don’t forget... The Cirkles are cheering you on!