I’m confident we all desire to share scripture with our kids. Does it feel like “just another thing to fit in the schedule”? Here are some practical steps for scripture to be the central focus for your family.

Scripture

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 6:6-7

Reflect

Student Council, soccer practices and games, jump rope club, homework, horse-riding lessons, choir practice, and the list goes on and on.  Sound familiar??  Welcome to a typical week in the Adams’ house.  With all of this and more going on around our house, how are we supposed to make time to dig into God’s Word with our kids? 

Let’s look at a couple of ways we can impress God’s commandments on our children.  Specifically, the end of verse 7, “…when you lie down and when you get up.”

• “…when you lie down”

Bed time is one of my favorite times of the day with my kids.  A commitment my wife and I have made is to make this a meaningful time with our kids.  For all of our children bed time includes three things:  

1. The Word of the Week – Remember your Sports Journal from the summer?  Each day there was a characteristic to focus on and a supporting scripture. We choose a different characteristic each week (or once a month) to build up in each of our lives.  We also commit to memory the corresponding verse. 
2. We sing.  Praising our Lord through song with our kids can be powerful. The peace and comfort that kids have as their head hits their pillow with worship in their hearts and minds is very sweet.
3. We pray.  What a crucial part of our walk with Christ.  This is a great opportunity to speak truth into our children through scripture.   Let them participate in finding a verse to pray that is applicable to their day. 

• “…when you get up”

Breakfast…we all need it!  The only thing that takes a back seat to the need for breakfast is the need to dig into God’s Word before our day of craziness begins.  My wife champions taking even just a few minutes to read scripture to our kids before we head out the door.  Make the commitment to set aside that time.  Not sure what to read?  Start with the gospels…read a paragraph or section each morning…your kids will look forward to “what happens next”.  There are many resources on line such as The Family Reading Bible or any number of family-friendly Bible reading plans.              

What it really comes down to is commitment.  Parent’s our charge and challenge is to make reading God’s Word a priority for our family.  This doesn’t just start with reading to our kids; it starts with our personal commitment to do so as well…but that’s another devo for another day : ).  ‘Til then, press on! 

Camper Corner

How do you start and end your day?  My encouragement and challenge to you is to bookend the craziness of each day with time set aside for our Lord.  Read, Pray, Sing…whatever will connect you back to our source for life!  Get into God’s Word daily!