Parenting IN the Word

It's part of my desire to "parent" intentionally, or like I mean it. After talking with a friend the other night, I realized just how much more I need to and could do. Being "the" mom is more than making sure they have a lunch, get to bed on time, making sure they are fed, have their homework done, etc. It is making time for them in ALL aspects and not letting someone else lead them.

A friend and I were discussing our kids' Christian education the other night. And she opened my eyes (though in my heart I knew I was not very good at it) to the fact that I LET school and church take the lead in directing my kids and their faith. Sure the kids and I have discussions about God and His working in the world, but I hardly ever really sit down with them to read scripture, let alone memorize it. For us getting through a meal is sometimes a challenge in itself. Keeping them at the table for another 10-15 minutes to read devotions might be torture on all of us. I know, I know this sounds awful. Mind you we still have Bible bedtime stories. And the kids hate it when we talk about foregoing it on a certain night because of the late hour or if they had fallen alseep before the reading could be done. But when my oldest learned to read, my husband and I let him take over the evening bedtime Bible story reading to his siblings. The other kids tended to listen to him more and there was less raucous behavior without us in the room. It was also cool to just stand outside the door to watch and listen to him lead prayers. Besides the cursory "Now I lay me..", the kids began to really include their own thoughts and petitions for others.

As my kids age I know they need more than just an evening Bible story though to really grow their faith. Like most things in my life, I often do not know where to begin. The kids are given verses to memorize in school, and apparently the kids are doing well with them as their teachers have given them good marks since they started school. But have I REALLY gone over them with the kids, except to ask them "Do you have your Bible memory learned?" And how in the world do I do that with multiple kids and mulitple verses? And when? I can barely help each with homework, let alone settling down for some heartfelt memorization and explanation about Bible verses. I just started going over spelling words with my oldest two children, how can I fit Bible memory into those short hours between when they get home and bedtime along with supper and baths?

Now I'll admit I felt guilt and admiration when my friend told me what she now does with kids. They make it a part of the family devotions at night after supper. They read the Bible and then go over each child's verse for the week. So each child is not only learning their own verse, but also their siblings' verses. And everybody gets help learning them whether they want that help or not. My friend then went on to say that the practice worked out well until she realized that the kids are not in school each week. It was then that she picked out verses for the weeks the kids were not in school. Here is where the guilt set in for me... we do not do after supper devotions, let alone learn the kids' memory work with them. Talk about feeling like a lousy parent.

But at the same time, I have hope. This is my starting point... a chance to bring my children closer to our Maker and a faith firmly grounded in Him. Maybe now (starting tonight) we make the time to learn about God together and grow in faith and love.