“Lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul…You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
Deuteronomy 11:18-20
This command in Deuteronomy can seem heavy. How can I teach God’s words to my kids all the time? When my kids were small, I often felt I was not “doing” enough. Our days were not fun enough, educational enough, or spiritual enough. Most days felt like I was just trying to keep everyone fed, napped, and reasonably clean.
I realized that while I could not make every day magical, I could do simple things that would add up over time. I decided that each day, at some point in our day, I could make each kid laugh, teach them something about the world, and talk about God. This does not have to be a sit-down phonics lesson or family devotional time (although those are good things). It could just be talking about how amazing God made our bodies while getting dressed or talking about creation as you go for a walk or drive to Target. I am not usually the fun parent in our house, but even I can make kids laugh with a quick tickle or silly face.
When I start to feel like I have not done enough, I can stop and go through my checklist: “Did I teach them something? Did we laugh? Did we acknowledge God?” Over time, those little moments add up to a lot of learning and laughing.
CHALLENGE: Attempt these three things in simple ways this week: teach your kids something; make them laugh; and talk about God.
Rebecca Steinbach
“In the Trenches” Contributing Writer
Wife, Mother of 3 girls, and avid travel planner!