Teach Them Diligently

This third verse on my list of five favorite Bible verses related to parenting instructs me to teach the precepts and principles of God to my children as part of our every day life. This helps me know that it is not the church’s nor the Christian school’s job to plant the words of God into my children’s heart, although they may be a help in that area.

My husband and I, as parents, are responsible for teaching our children about God and His commandments. This can be a bit more formal as we sit around the table after supper and talk about Bible principles or some character trait they should have in their lives. It would also involve just being available to talk when they have a question at bedtime about some situation or discussing what they learned in Sunday School during the ride home from church.

The neatest part of this verse is that spiritual instruction can and should happen throughout the day as part of our normal conversation. It’s not relegated to a sit-down teaching time, but just happens as we move throughout our day.

I’m certain that I miss so many opportunities to capture teachable moments, but hope that I will focus more on listening for those times to teach my girls about God and His Word. My husband grabbed a quick moment this past Sunday to do just that. One of our girls was talking about taking money to church to put in the offering and my husband took the chance to ask her about why we give money at church and briefly mentioned what our heart attitude should be as we give.

According to these verses, I am to be diligent about training our daughters in the ways of God. My prayer is that I might be more mindful of this responsibility and look for ways to incorporate it into our daily lives.