“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deut. 6:6-9.
Were I to come up with a term that best captures the instructions above, it would be the idea of ‘life discipleship’. It would seem that Christian parents and guardians have their work cut out for them. Yet there are ordinary ways to incorporate this commandment into our daily routines, better still, weave our routines into the commandment.
I recently sighted a dad and his young daughter, walking hand in hand along to school. He had her repeat after him, phrases which I could tell were lines from a religious text, as they strutted on. Turned out it wasn’t a one-off act, as I spotted the duo doing the same thing a week after my first encounter. Talk of redeeming the school run!
I don’t believe that teaching the next generation is a mere exercise in proselytising, but a matter of obedience to an instruction, more so one that is capable of doing tremendous good to their souls.
Quoting Clare Heath-Whyte from the book “Old Wives’ Tales”:
“So often today, the ambitions of Christian parents for their children are startlingly similar to those of their non-Christian friends – a good education, successful career and happy relationship. We may say we value the Christian education of our children, but often our true priorities are exposed by the amount of time and money we spend on ‘fulfilling our child’s potential’ compared to ‘doing good to their souls’.”
Securing your own mask
The challenge before us is two- pronged: first we are to embrace the gospel for ourselves, and then ensure that our children hear and understand this good news. Quite similar to the routine lines from airplanes in preparation for take-off – “In the unlikely event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop down…secure your own mask before helping others”.
Nana, a dear friend, has a very helpful segment on her blog dedicated to teaching children the gospel. She not only does a fabulous job of curating good resources with an eye for the gospel, she offers some insight by telling why her family loves each book. We use some of the recommended books in our home, and have found them really helpful and enjoyable.
Don’t just take my word for it, head over to the page, see for yourself and do some good to the souls of the next generation in your care. To the parent who is already in the groove, I doff my hat!
Thanks for reading!
Sike Osinuga.
Thank you for sharing this. Was particularly struck by the quote from the book! May the Lord help me to consciously engage in actions that ultimately do good to the souls of my children. Heading over to Nanas blog…
I was convicted by the quote too, when I came across it a while ago. Makes one think of the pivotal nature of the Christian faith – occupies a more central role than being just one of the many compartments of our lives.
Isaac Watts, the hymn writer puts it so well – “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”
Thank You for another great masterpiece. This is an eye opener for me and the quote from the book said it all. Now I need to re focus and prioritise what’s books to feed my sons souls.
Also, thank You for sharing Nana’s blog, great recommendations there.
Thank You and God bless.
This was convicting and then encouraging. Thanks Sike
I know! It was a note to self, really. Thanks for stopping by 🙂