Let’s talk about how to teach your child about God effectively without feeling like you have to DO it all or KNOW it all.
Rex (my youngest) giggled as he stood behind the closed closet doors. I pretended to weep on the floor as Dodger slipped behind me and opened the door to let him out. Rex then snuck up the ladder to the top bunk and hid under the covers, while I lifted my head and gasped in astonishment at the empty closet.
Dodger gestured upward and shouted, eyes wide and grinning huge, “Jesus is alive!”
Rex then burst out of the covers with a shout and we all cheered and danced around the bed.
We had just re-enacted the story of Jesus’ resurrection, which we did because I was desperate for a way to connect my non-verbal 3-year-old with the Bible. He loved it. And it took us less than 2 minutes.
(The first time. We then had to redo it about 5 more times!)
This type of LITTLE discipleship opportunity seems to be coming my way a lot these days.
- There was the ride in the car when we had finished listening to “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe” and ended up having a conversation about substitutionary atonement (but not in those words ?).
- Then there was the times I prayed with my eldest when he was feeling left out at school, or had a conversation about death and heaven.
- And there are all the little, forgotten moments in our day where we said a quick prayer or had a brief conversation about telling the truth or being kind.
These unexpected moments are where my own faith journey and those of my children intersect, and they aren’t usually very long. In fact, I’d say the average length is about 30 seconds.
But those 30 seconds have the power to shape their eternal future.
Those 30-Second Moments are like putting a dime into an investment account. A single dime adds up only to ten cents, but a dime a day for an entire lifetime, combined with the principle of compound interest, creates something beyond belief.
Does leading your kids to Christ seem like a giant ball of stress to you? Do you feel like you need to have a theology degree or at least a pastor to call up every time your kids ask a wacky question?
Wondering HOW to teach your child about God?
Ask God to open your eyes to the 30-Second Moments.
–>In the car.
–>At the breakfast table.
–>Before bed.
I believe this?? is what Deuteronomy 6:6,7 is talking about:
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
The ancient Israelites mostly lived a harsh, hardscrabble life.
- When they sat at home, they were likely either working or eating.
- When they walked on the road, it wasn’t to walk the dog – it was to get somewhere.
- When they lay down after a long day of subsistence farming or rock quarrying or trips to the well and grinding grain for bread, it wasn’t on an innerspring mattress.
The commandments Moses gave them were simply talked about during daily life. Perhaps they had specific times of conversation, but most families wouldn’t have had the leisure to sit around discussing theology.
They were likely using these little moments with their children, just like we do. Moments while they were washing clothes, baking bread, weeding the fields, walking to the well, or building homes.
My friend, stop beating yourself up for not having a daily 30-minute family worship session.
Instead, teach your child about Jesus in those 30-Second Moments.
Sometimes those short moments will become a natural 30-minute discussion, but most times they will remain 30 seconds.
That is how faith is formed. In normal, everyday life.
In the 30-Second Moments of life.
While eating dinner. While walking the dog. While strolling through a mall. When tucking kids into bed.
Because 30-Second Moments peppered throughout the day add up to hours, days, and weeks of faithful living. They are the foundation, on which we can add longer moments. But they often end up the most memorable.
This means that any mom, any dad who wants to know how to teach your child about God CAN do it. You can help your children grow deep faith roots through little habits that add up over time.
You don’t have to do it all or know it all.
You just have to start.
If you need help finding those 30-Second Moments, that’s what my Start LITTLE guide is all about!
The first page is a quick reference of what kind of moments you can find with your child, and where to find them in your day.
Pages 2-4 are all about the simple tricks you need to help these 30-Second Moments become actual habits. Click here or input your email below to have it sent to your inbox!
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