"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:5-8, NKJV)
Years ago when I started working with children, I taught a lesson from these verses that became sort of a signature with me. I usually asked a youth leader or pastor to be my guinea pig when I taught and this was no exception.
After the person joined me on the platform and I asked that they begin reciting all the verses they had ever memorized while doing a few small things. The first one was first sit on a chair (while reciting), then walk around the aisles (while reciting). Next they were to lie down on the floor (while reciting), then they rose up (while reciting) where they began the process all over again. At the end while they were still reciting I had them begin to write the verses on a sample of a door post I brought up on the platform. Oh, and before they began this whole cycle I tied a small square box to their left hand and also one on their forehead above their eyes. These boxes contained small scrolls with scripture on them called phylacteries.
The children enjoyed this process immensely. They laughed when the pastor or leader couldn’t remember the Scripture or when they had a hard time getting up off the floor. But when I began to relate to them why I was doing all of this they became alert to the thought behind it all.
Parents have a tremendous responsibility to give the Word of the Lord to their children. They should be implanting it in everything they do with them from getting up in the morning, sitting down to eat breakfast, walking with them through the day, and lying down next to them at night to say prayers. Everything a parent does should reflect God in some way. What a huge responsibility for their parents! What a large, all-encompassing, life-filling job they have!
What about you? Are you living the Deuteronomy 6 challenge every day as a parent? Where do you fall short? What’s keeping you from doing your job and fulfilling this Scripture? Take a second look at your busy schedule and don’t just fit it in, make it a living part of all you do every day. You will be amazed at how your children change when they see the pattern you’re living right in front of them. Let God help you. He can do that, you know.
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