Outfitting Your Children with Scripture, What You Should Know

Firm Foundation

Building a firm foundation in scripture reading, memorization and meditation for children is a priority parents cannot take lightly in the first twelve years of children’s lives. Studying the scriptures gives children a strong base to build their lives upon. It provides protection for their minds, a steady guide for their hearts and directions for the steps they take in life. 

Football Helmets 

Football fans are taking a break from the just completed football season. Year after year, football loyalists cheer their teams on for the big superbowl win. Watching any football game can be breath catching, not just the superbowl. From the quick tackles to head and body collisions, the game is very demanding. However, for the football players, the head and body collisions are part of the game. Players understand why wearing every piece of the football gear is not optional. They put on their shoulder pads, mouthguards, jockstraps, gloves, shoes, thigh pads, knee pads and helmets. Out of all these gear, the helmet is the most important piece. Concussions are proof enough that a helmet is the most important football gear. These concussions happen due to the impact of the brain on the skull during a helmet to helmet collision on the field. Just imagine playing football without a helmet! That is dangerous to the power ten! The helmet invariably provides the protective covering for the brain.

Vital Life Gear

Similarly in life we need many vital gears to thrive no matter the season- be it fall, winter, spring or summer. One of such vital gears is the Word of God- aka the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God. It just does not contain the Word of God. Feeding on the Word of God daily provides the protective covering needed for life. Most importantly, teaching children how to feed on the Word of God from an early age, empowers and equips them for life, no matter what life might throw at them. Deuteronomy 11: 18-19 NIV, states, “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” 

Responsibility

Parents have a responsibility to teach their children the Word of God. Whether that’s at the dinner table, family devotions, prayer altars, taking a walk in the neighborhood, riding in the car to sporting activities, grocery shopping or tucking them in for bed at night. Here is a disclaimer parents- teaching your children the Word of God, does not trouble proof them in life. However, the Word of God living inside your children provides light and guidance in the muddy waters of life. Proverbs 22:6 sheds more light on this. It says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” 

Bible Memorization

One of the ways to effectively teach children the Word of God is through Bible memorization programs. When our daughters were young (one digit years old), we began Bible memorization as part of our family devotions. We would memorize a verse a day. As they progressed, they could memorize a week’s worth of verses in a few minutes. One of our homeschool family friends at that time introduced us to the Awana program at their church. That began our family’s journey in the Awana program. Awana is a world-wide Bible based children’s discipleship program. Through various engaging Bible based activities, children learn the Word of God, memorize scriptures and get assessed on what they have learned. As a family we committed to the Awana program for years both on Sunday and Wednesday nights. Our daughters’ commitment to memorizing scriptures helped them grow in their faith and walk with God. Each daughter earned both the Trek and Timothy awards for their 2, 3 and 4 years commitment to memorizing scriptures. The many pictures from Awana Bible quizzing events are displayed in family albums as a marker of those formative years in Bible memorization.

Bible Study Guide

At the request of some ladies in our community Women’s Bible Study for a quick reference guide to help study their Bibles, last year that request became a published book titled, “Discover How To Study Your Bible Guide: Bible Study Guide. Check it out and see how the guide might help in teaching your children the Word of God. As we look towards celebrating Easter, what a great time to re-commit to studying God’s Word. It is the best gear for life!