Sharing Christ With Your Children

Satan wants your child. Scary, isn't it?! Thinking about how that the whole world is telling my kid what is right/wrong, how to think, how to act, it is important that my son knows where the real truth can be found. He is only 3 years old, so how do you start? How do you teach a young child to love and appreciate God's Word, so that as they get older, they have a solid foundation? How do you introduce them to the Creator, so that they will want a personal relationship with Him one day? I am sharing what my husband and I have been doing with our little boy, with the hopes that it will help you!

It Starts With You

As with most things that you want to teach your children, it begins with your example. Want your child to be kind? Be kind. Want your child to be respectful? Be respectful. So it is with starting a love for the Lord in your child's life. Want your child to love the Lord and read His Word? Love the Lord and read His Word. It can't be something you do sporadically or on a whim. Your kid knows when what you do is prioritized and genuine. A few practical ways to start this in your life:

• Read the Bible daily. Let your child see you pick up the Bible in the morning with your usual cup of coffee.  Show your child that you take time out of your busy day and put God first. I saw this done in my mom's life, and it impacted me in a big way. I knew my mom's love for the Lord was genuine, and a priority. 
• Listen to uplifting and worshipful music. Just like reading the Bible, this is something that won't just benefit your child's life, but yours as well! I can't tell you how many bad days became ones of joy because of the worshipful music I was listening to. I'm not saying that to sound spiritual, but to be open about how much music can change an attitude. 
• Make going to church, reading the Bible, and praying a joy and not a chore. Again, your child will always be able to tell when something is genuine. If going to church is just something you 'do' and not something you 'get to do' then it will be a chore and a bother for them as well. This is the tip I fall short of most often. I sometimes behave as if doing spiritual things is a check list, not a joyful pleasure. 

Read the Bible with your Child

For Little Man, we have a couple of Bible Story books we read with him each day. One is longer and more detailed that we do during preschool, and one is more simple that we do at night. Not much reasoning, besides I'm lazy to bring the book back and forth from room to room each day, but when we are done with preschool for the year, I want to graduate our night time reading to something a little more detailed. What you use, and when you use it is up to you, but it's good to get the basics down. The stories like David and Goliath, and Jonah and the Whale are great at this point. Once your child starts to get older, it's good to start on a plan that takes you through the Bible, so he/she gets a good understanding of the overarching story that God has written (if you decide to skip parts of Leviticus and the whole of Song of Solomon, I'm not judging at all! Even a few chapters in Judges can get interesting for little ones!). If you are a family with mixed littles and bigger kids, just be sure that you explain what you've read (good for big kids too!) so that way everyone understands.
We use the 1990's version of this Beginner Bible:

Teach Your Child to Memorize Scripture

It's never too early to start memorizing God's Word. Just think about the impact God's Word had on Timothy:

 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15

What he knew from childhood impacted him as an adult. Because I was taught to memorize Scripture (to my mother's credit) when dark times, temptation, and even times of jubilation come,
I can worship God through recalling Scripture that I have learned. 

For young Children you can:

• Start Small: One sentence verses are great for ages 2-4
• Make up motions: This helps them remember
• Make it go to music: Another help with remembering
• Talk about what the verse means: Maybe they will understand, maybe they won't right away, but they will eventually!

So my encouragement to you is to start today! Set aside time with your child, preferably as a family, to read God's Word, talk about it, pray about it, and memorize it. You, as a parent, are a missionary to your child. What they see you do will shape how they view faith in God. I pray that through your example and teaching, they will come to know Christ and have a personal relationship with Him!