“If the reading seems laborious and the stories seem to have so many adult themes, why should I read the Bible with my kids?”
“Is it even appropriate to read the Bible with them?”
“Can we just read the happy stories from the children’s story Bibles, and someday they can discover the full text?”
“They have so much to read for school, how can I ever expect them to read the Bible?”
While it’s tempting to use excuses to pass over Bible reading with our kids, the payoff is too great to miss.
We Learn the WHY
Spend time around any small child, and you will hear them ask “Why?” a million times. It’s as if we are programmed to ask it!
We are designed to wonder about the world, and God’s Word gives us the “why.” It tells us the truth about how things were created and Who created them. It gives us evidence of the bad in the world and the good in the world and God’s plan in the midst of that.
Reading the Bible with kids allows parents to give the answers to “why” with confidence and truth.
Which Focuses Us on HIM
All of those “why” answers will focus on God and His character. As parents raising kids into adults, the more truths we can teach them about who God is, the more they can make sense of the world around them.
List out every single thing you know about God as you read the Bible. Start a running list in your home and add to it as you read.
That Tells Me WHO I Am
When kids know Who God is, it tells them who they are. If they carry the very image of a God Who is loving, then they can commit to love. If they know that God is all about grace, they will reflect grace to those around them.
As you focus your parenting on Who God is, you begin to help your kids shape their identity and respond to who He has created them to be.
While we want our kids to behave, we genuinely want them to behave because they know who they are and whose they are, as children of God in a crooked generation.
So I Can Say What I BELIEVE
Their identity will shape their beliefs. When we point our kids to knowing God’s Word and shaping their theology, it gives them confidence in God and tells them who they are. This will form their thoughts and beliefs about the world.
Ultimately all of these lenses laid on top of each other will create their worldview. When you lay the foundation of Scripture, your job as a parent actually becomes much more accessible!
And LIVE It Out in This World
Kids will live out what they believe. If they:
- Feel confident in the “why” and know the truth of Scripture,
- Have a full picture of the God Who created them and loves them,
- Feel secure in their own identity as children of God,
- And have their worldview intact,
- They will go out and live it in the world!
Your job as a parent becomes more about reminding them of the truths they know than about modifying behavior.
