Psalm 78: 1-4 (NIV)
My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old — things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.
Did you grow up in an authentic Christian home? Did your parents speak of the things of God and seek to instruct you in His Word and His Ways? Did they share stories of how God had provided for them…guided them…and was there for them in their times of dire need? I grew up in a traditional American home where church was a regular part of the routine along with a brief prayer before most meals. My parents always held church attendance in high regard, and that is where the bulk of my youthful Christian knowledge was gleaned. We were well taught in basic morality, manners, and work ethic…but when it came to the things of God, that part of the puzzle was missing.
I don’t think my parents were ever discipled well…but both my wife and I have been since becoming born again Christians back in 1994. Once we had children, we knew our primary concern for them was their salvation, followed closely by their understanding of the things of God. Psalm 78 is the longest instructional psalm in the book and was as needed back then as it is today. Do we seek to teach our children about God…or have we chosen to out-source it to the local church? There is certainly a need and a place for youth ministry, but God’s Word makes it abundantly clear that it is primarily the parent’s job to “raise a child up in the way they should go” (Pr. 22:6). Rather than relying on the church to do the job on Sunday mornings, Scripture calls on parents to be Source #1:
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on 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.” Deut. 6:7
What are your main hopes and aspirations for your child or children? To get a good education. To earn an advanced degree. To land a job with great pay and benefits. To get married and have a family. To enjoy life. These are all wonderful things, to be sure, but we should seek to make them all subservient to what the Apostle John said in 3 John 1:4 – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” If we fail to tell the next generation – our children and their children, as well – the “praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done,” then we are depriving them of the essential knowledge and wisdom they need in order to make all of those aforementioned goals meaningful and useful for the Kingdom of God (Mth. 6:33).
I wish I could say that I am completely happy with the way that we have raised our four children to follow the Lord, but over the years there have been plenty of gaps and missteps, mostly on my part. Daily devotions were started but quickly abandoned. Bible teaching was normal, but often seemed to fall on deaf ears. Sharing stories of what the Lord had done in our lives was often met with rolling eyes and cries of, “You’ve told us that a hundred times!” But my wife and I are trusting that God will bring fruit out of our feeble seeds. He commands us to pass along what we have learned and experienced and we continue to do our best to do so. And perhaps even more important than what we can teach our children about God with our mouths, is what we can show them in the way that we choose to live our lives. Let’s all stop for a moment and pray that the Lord will take our imperfect parental offerings and multiply them into a bounty of Life and Meaning and Wisdom in our children’s (and grandchildren’s) lives.
