Most things start out this way-first it’s a routine we feel pressured to do, something we strive and struggle to achieve daily. It could be as easy as drinking 8 glasses of water or as hard as waking up early to go to the Gym or for a run. Routines are hard at the beginning, you feel like you can’t do it but then as the day goes by you move from “it’s hard and difficult’ to “it’s not that bad, this is something I need to do to achieve a result, so I better do it”
At this stage, you have started mastering your routine, you know what to do without even looking at your schedule. You wake up before the alarm sounds to exercise and even drink more glasses in a day than you originally planned. It’s true what they say that practice makes perfect. This consistence produces result one day at a time and then you are excited. You can see changes; you want to do more. This is when it is no longer a routine or a practice. It has become a delight. The final stage is here, and you are loving this new you, or this new way of life or this new habit.
When I think of how we aim to help our Children grow into the habit of reading the Bible and loving God’s word, the three words above- routine, practice and delight- come to mind. In those early months of having our little ones, we read Bible stories to them and showed them pictures, sowing the first seeds of God’s word into their heart, wanting them to know how amazing His love is and how much we desire that they know it.
Then as they got to toddler years and beyond, we became more intentional with making this part of their day, reading it at bedtime or during road trips, talking about Jesus to them after Sunday School and every day after that. We use every opportunity to point them to Christ, and His death and resurrection. Leaving it to chance is no longer an option, we practice with them because we want them to know the words of Jesus, we teach them verses with actions and songs, and build on the foundation we laid before.
We need to use every opportunity to point them to Christ, and His death and resurrection. Leaving it to chance is no longer an option, we practice with them because we want them to know the words of Jesus, we teach we teach them verses with actions and songs, and build on the foundation we laid before.
And now, we see them blossoming in their love for His word. Think about it, are they are now asking for their Bibles at bedtime when Mummy and Daddy are tired and just want to go to bed? or is your older child now so caught up in reading the Bible that he or she shouts with delight when his devotional directs him to a new book of the Bible? This is delighting in God’s word. This is where we want them to be and where we want to be ourselves. A place of delight, a place of growing in our knowledge of God and His word. A place of being renewed and transformed by God’s word. And if they are not there yet or have become distracted with other things, we pray for their hearts to be filled with a fresh desire and teach them to pray the same for themselves as we are doing this month.
Our prayer is that your children will delight in God’s word more than food, that they may live by every word God says. We pray that like the Psalmist David, they will hide His words in their heart so that they may not sin against God. May His word be a lamp to their feet and a light to their paths.
Abi
Very well written Funke! God bless you.