Feed The Word
I had just reached school, my workplace. As I walked to my room, I watched the parents say goodbye to their dear children and leave. It was the start of the school year and some of the children were a little unsettled and looked worried. I saw the expressions of the parents-they looked as if they were bursting with love for their little ones.
I remembered the days when my children were young, when all my days were about them, my thoughts, my words, and my time. As a young mother who had lost her mother and mother-in-law in quick succession, I clung to God to help me as I mothered my boys. I prayed for God to lead me as I trained my little ones and taught them about God from the Bible.
Here are 4 ways in which you can feed your little ones with the treasures of God’s Word.
Reading the Bible
“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon 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.”-Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV
Deuteronomy 6:7 says that we can never talk too much of God’s word to our children. I held on to these words.
When you sit at home (in the lounge, at the breakfast counter, on the bed, the garden)
When you walk on the road (in the car, in the park, as you take the bus or fly to your holiday destination)
When you lie down (as you tuck them into bed or snuggle up together on a lazy Saturday morning)
When you get up (as you leave to school, as you wake them up)
Praying together
When Michael and Meshak were young we always had our evening prayer time, singing a chorus and reading a story from the Bible. Doing this intentionally and consistently is key! It was not always perfect but we tried to keep at it most of the days. Some families do it at the dinner table, some do it on the porch after dinner. We prayed in the quiet of the bedroom.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”-Philippians 4:6 NIV
This verse gives us the recipe for prayer.
Never miss an opportunity when you can pull your precious one (little or not so little one) close to you and pray.
When they start something new art class, piano lesson, soccer lessons
When there is a need - a friend is sick, a lesson is difficult, a dear toy is lost, Grandad had a surgery
To seek God’s blessing- Mum’s new job, Dad’s new car, a brand-new baby brother joins the family
To thank God – for an encouraging remark from a teacher, for a new toy, for a match won
To ask God for help and strength – when going to the doctor, when worried about a new class
By doing this we teach our children that we don’t do life by ourselves and that God is interested in every part of our life!
Singing to the Lord!
Singing choruses and songs together is a lot of fun. You can add actions, homemade instruments (spoons and jars, a jar filled with buttons) to make music to the Lord. As children learn to play instruments they can provide the accompaniment.
“Sing for joy to the God of our strength.
Begin the music, strike the tambourine,
play the melodious harp and lyre.”-Psalm 81:1a-2 NIV
Celebrating life together
Laugh, enjoy each other, and worship God as you do in everyday ordinary life. Let your children rejoice! Let them make memories to carry with them into adulthood.
“Rejoice in the Lord, again I say rejoice.”-Philippians 4:4 NIV
It took many years for me to learn to do this. I am still learning but have come a long way. As mothers we can show our children by example to laugh more, to worry less, to trust God more, and to fear less.
What one action can you take today to Feed the Word to your precious child?