Teaching the Young by Lane Jordan Burday

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 (Deuteronomy 6: 5-7)

My husband and I just got back from spending ten days with our precious two-year-old grandson, our daughter, and our son-in-law. She is very pregnant with baby number two, a little girl, due in about a month, so our help was greatly needed.

The verse above from Deuteronomy, which means Second Law, was Moses again telling the children of Israel to obey God. They had just spent 40 years in the desert for not obeying and are now at the cusp of crossing over to the promised land—finally!

This verse has been one of my favorite verses, and I share it when I speak to young moms. Yes! We are to start sharing God and the good news of His Son from birth on! And I love in this verse how it says “all day”—in other words, whenever you sit with your child(ren), walk with them, when you get them ready for bed, and when they get up.

Why? Because humans need repetition! Our flesh wants to naturally sin. So, as parents and grandparents, we are responsible for teaching these little ones the truth and how to live a life that gives them a future and hope! A life of joy and peace. And that only comes when we have a close fellowship with the Lord.

You may think you are too busy to teach your child Bible verses and read them Bible stories. But God says our priorities will determine how we spend our time. Jesus was clear in His teachings that love is our first priority. To love God, your neighbor, and fellow man, which starts in the home. We should make time for our husband and our children as we put God first in our lives.

When we make time to teach our little ones the truth of God and His great blessings, it will build their character, give them peace, and may hopefully save their lives for all eternity!

A tip? Get some age-appropriate Bible story books and put them in a basket next to your rocking chair in your child’s room. Each night before bed, read these along with a “pretend book” that they choose. I promise you, reading and talking with your child will be one of the most foundational things you can ever do in building your relationship. I was reading to mine at age 13! Because that is when they want to talk, and they will know how important they are to you!

And after you finish reading and talking? Pray over them. Every night. God’s word will never come back in vain. Every time you are with your child and share God’s Word, their character, faith, and hope for the future will be strengthened.

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