God's Method for Teaching Our Children

When we are deeply rooted in our faith, His promises will flow from our lips.

By: Rebecca little, lower elementary principal

Becoming a grandmother has brought a stirring in my heart and questions of what this role will be like for me. As I have pondered this amazing new title, God has reminded me of Deuteronomy 6 and the fact that grandparenting has this same call as parenting … so I’m writing this to myself as well as to you that are in the depths of raising children.

GOD’S METHOD FOR TEACHING OUR CHILDREN

In Deuteronomy 6, God gives us foundational instruction on what is vital for us as parents to give to our children … and our children’s children. Moses received the Ten Commandments from God in chapter 5, and in chapter 6, he commands us to teach these words to our children so they might fear, love, and obey the Lord.

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words, which I am commanding you today shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.”
Deuteronomy 6:5-7

Talking to and teaching our children about our God, how we love Him, and what He has done for us should be on the forefront of our hearts and minds.

As one of our teachers shared with me, “Deuteronomy 6 tells us that God’s method of teaching the children that He blessed us with is through immersion.” Pointing them to truth throughout the day and into the evening is His command to us.

In Psalm 78, we are reminded again that we are to instruct our children and the coming generation so that they will know what our fathers have taught us “about the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and wonders that He has done.” (Psalm 78:4).

And our prayer for the outcome is “that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God but, keep His commandments.” (Psalm 78:7)

LIVING OUT DEUTERONOMY 6

So, how do we model Deuteronomy 6:5-7 and Psalm 78:4-7 in our homes? It first starts with our own hearts and our own desires to abide in Jesus.

When we are deeply rooted in our faith and are dependent on the Lord, then His promises and faithfulness will flow freely from our lips.

Family devotions, spending time in the Word, blessings at meals, discussions during mealtime or in the car, walks in the neighborhood, playing games together, when we mess up, when they mess up, serving together, and bedtime Bible readings are all times to share with our children about our Almighty God.

Believe me, I know that this is not an easy calling for us as parents (or as grandparents). It takes diligence, intentionality, time, and most importantly, daily reliance on the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to opportunities to speak truth.

The years pass quickly, and the wide-open window to instruct our children becomes just a tiny crack. We must not slumber on what God commands us to tell our children (and for me now, my grandchild) of His great love and sacrifice for us.

As we break for the Thanksgiving holiday, my prayer is that as you spend time together, it will be a time of gratefulness, reflecting on our blessings, with opportunities to live out and experience Deuteronomy 6 with your children in a refreshing and bountiful way.