"And the Word of God says..."
This is what my three year old daughter comes home saying almost every time she comes home from her Mother's Day Out program at a local church. I'm always so impressed and thankful that they are impressing the importance of God's Word on her heart. However, I've always believed that the responsibility of getting God's Word in her heart lies, first and foremost, with me.
In relation to teaching my daughter God's Word, I have lately done much reflection on Deut. 6:6-9. This scripture talks about the importance of the Israelites impressing God's commands on their kids hearts as they are about to enter the promise land. In my reflections, part about writing God's Word "on the door frames of your houses and gates" really stood out in my mind. I begin to think about my house when I was growing up. I can't remember much of the artwork I had in apartments and dorms in college, or even the first house I had after I got married, but I can clearly remember most of the pictures and artwork from my house growing up. I remember in the kitchen, my mom had a picture that had the poem "A Kitchen Prayer" written on it. I can almost quote the entire poem by heart: "God bless my little kitchen Lord, I love it every nook. Bless me as I do my work, wash pots and pans and cook. And may the meals that I prepare be seasoned from above, with (this is where I lose it a little bit) something, something ,something, and most of all they love." I think that it is crazy that I remember that random poem hanging in my Mom's kitchen, but it makes sense. Even though we moved several times when I was a kid, I can remember seeing that poem, every day, every time I had to do the dishes, for years and years and years.
I want God's Word to be in front of my family's eyes, everyday, as much as possible. In the past year, I've been working on canvases to hang around the house that have verses that are important to our family. I want my daughter to remember those verses like I remember the kitchen prayer. Okay, better than I remember the kitchen prayer. I want these verses to be what pop into her head when she faces a tough situation, needs to encourage a friend, needs encouragement for herself, wants to thank God, and when she need guidance for life's decisions.
So my encouragement to you today is to some how get God's Word in front of your kids eyes where they can read it everyday. You may not literally write it on a doorpost of your house, but you can put God's Word on canvas, in a photo, a drawing, a wall stencil, a sticky note. Whatever you think will catch their eyes, get it on your walls. As parents, we have no job more important than "impressing" God's Word on our children's hearts.
This is what my three year old daughter comes home saying almost every time she comes home from her Mother's Day Out program at a local church. I'm always so impressed and thankful that they are impressing the importance of God's Word on her heart. However, I've always believed that the responsibility of getting God's Word in her heart lies, first and foremost, with me.
In relation to teaching my daughter God's Word, I have lately done much reflection on Deut. 6:6-9. This scripture talks about the importance of the Israelites impressing God's commands on their kids hearts as they are about to enter the promise land. In my reflections, part about writing God's Word "on the door frames of your houses and gates" really stood out in my mind. I begin to think about my house when I was growing up. I can't remember much of the artwork I had in apartments and dorms in college, or even the first house I had after I got married, but I can clearly remember most of the pictures and artwork from my house growing up. I remember in the kitchen, my mom had a picture that had the poem "A Kitchen Prayer" written on it. I can almost quote the entire poem by heart: "God bless my little kitchen Lord, I love it every nook. Bless me as I do my work, wash pots and pans and cook. And may the meals that I prepare be seasoned from above, with (this is where I lose it a little bit) something, something ,something, and most of all they love." I think that it is crazy that I remember that random poem hanging in my Mom's kitchen, but it makes sense. Even though we moved several times when I was a kid, I can remember seeing that poem, every day, every time I had to do the dishes, for years and years and years.
I want God's Word to be in front of my family's eyes, everyday, as much as possible. In the past year, I've been working on canvases to hang around the house that have verses that are important to our family. I want my daughter to remember those verses like I remember the kitchen prayer. Okay, better than I remember the kitchen prayer. I want these verses to be what pop into her head when she faces a tough situation, needs to encourage a friend, needs encouragement for herself, wants to thank God, and when she need guidance for life's decisions.
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| Phil. 1:6 |
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| Corinthians 13:13 |
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So my encouragement to you today is to some how get God's Word in front of your kids eyes where they can read it everyday. You may not literally write it on a doorpost of your house, but you can put God's Word on canvas, in a photo, a drawing, a wall stencil, a sticky note. Whatever you think will catch their eyes, get it on your walls. As parents, we have no job more important than "impressing" God's Word on our children's hearts.
I like those canvases! I'm seriously considering whether I have the artistic talent to do something like that. (Some kinds of talent I have, but drawing/painting is not really one of them)
ReplyDeleteMaybe with stencils?