Parenting with God's Word

Sounds like a daunting task, doesn't it? It's a simple concept: God's word and His truth is what will convict children's hearts so parents should use it to instruct their children. We can use it when we need to remind children of how to behave, that God has a standard for behavior and that we should be striving to do our best for God. We can use it when kids are struggling and need to be encouraged about who they are and who they were created to be. I think for some Christians the thought is new; I'm not sure how many people had parents who tried to incorporate God's word into their parenting. I think for some Christians it seems impossible. Like it requires memorizing so much Scripture or like you must have a Scripture filled answer for every moment of the day that you interact with your children.


We have been deliberate in working with our kids on Bible verses at bedtime. I just went through my Bible and wrote down verses that I thought presented the Gospel or provided truths for daily living. I shortened them to 3 or 4 words and then wrote them on index cards. What's been amazing has been the series of verses we've been working on since Conleigh came home. By randomly choosing an index card for the week, we have spent the last month and a half on 1 Corinthians 13. This section of scripture has proven to be so timley as our family has transitioned from three family members to four. Truths like "love is patient, love is kind, love does not envy, love always trusts' have been a part of our nightly routine. My kids have heard the Biblical model for what love looks like and it's been easy to remind them of these things when they are not acting in love or when they react in positive ways that demonstrate love.

And as I was thinking about this section of Scripture, I couldn't help but be thankful for the way these verses popped into our life as well as for thinking of how easily these verses translate to parenting. They are short and often repeated in Christian circles. I bet a lot of us have these verses halfway memorized already just from hearing them at other times. And very easy to pull out of your hat through out the day. This section of Scripture has just been so applicable yet not daunting or overwhelming. What a great starting point for parenting with something other than "Children, obey your parents." (Don't all parents just love that verse. Ha! That's the one that gets pulled out a lot around here. Although it usually gets translated in Mamaspeak to "God says you need to obey your Mama and Papa.") I love hearing Kenson telling me how he was patient or how he was protecting someone. He doesn't always have it right; sometimes his version of protecting is a bit off. But it is so good to hear him trying to apply God's truth to his life.