Tonight I was blessed to repeat a bedtime routine that has become a standard around our home. As my oldest three children prepare for bed each night, we gather to read the Scripture as I explain and we discuss a few verses. We’ve been doing it long enough now to where my children gather without being told for our nightly reading and discussion. Tonight I had this thought: For many Christian families, this is not normal.
I can remember growing up in a home with two parents, who in spite of all their struggles and failures, were both committed followers of Jesus. With the exception of a brief season I had as a kid, I can’t ever remember my dad sitting down with my brothers and I and reading the Scripture with us. I never remember my mom sitting on the bed as we gathered around my dad as he read, taught, and we discussed the Scripture.
One role of parents is to diligently and faithfully teach the words of God to their own children. In Deuteronomy, Moses records the heart of God this way: And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Children desperately need to see their parents grounded in the Word of God. They need to see dad and mom reading, studying, discussing, believing, and responding in faith to the Word of God.
I can think of a million reasons why a dad might be hesitant to try a similar bedtime routine with his own kids. Some reasons why a dad (or mom) may hesitate to read the Scripture daily with their own children might be:
- They feel intimidated with their own lack of knowledge or understanding
- A parent might realize they aren’t living out the truth of God’s Word, so it makes it difficult to read out loud and explain
- There may not be enough time in the day
- Some may not know where or how to start
- Many parents feel like their children won’t be interested, cooperative, or even participate in this type of routine
Mom and dad, here is a secret: Your children long for this type of connection with you. The love they need from you is not only physical, emotional, or mental, it is also spiritual. Taking them to church regularly and making serving, giving, and attending a normal part of their lives is a great start. But, they need more! They need a dad and mom who love Jesus, who treasure His Word, who think about it, speak about it, meditate on it, and try to live it out. But importantly, they need parents who share, teach, and discuss the Scriptures with them often!
You don’t have to have a theological degree to read the Bible with your children. You don’t have to invent deep, engaging Bible reading plans. Pick a book in the Bible, and read a small section each night. Talk about what you think it means, ask your children what they think it means, and discuss how your lives should look based on the truth of what you’ve read. At the end of this article, I am going to share a few resources that will help you if you want to grow deeper in your own understanding.
Zig Ziglar is quoted as saying: “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” I think the same is true of your intentional, daily, faith filled Bible reading with your children. You will make time for what (and who) is important. After a few weeks of reading through the Scripture, you’ll be amazed at what your children are learning, how they and you begin to treasure the time, and how it begins to impact the spiritual life of your family.
Don’t wait for your children to become young adults and just hope they get it right. Proverbs 22:6 should be every parents wake up call: Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. One parting note… one deeply educated commentator once said that the literal translation of Proverbs 22:6 is “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, it (the Word of God) won’t depart from him.” You faithfully do what God has called you to as a parent, trust God to do what only He can.
So… what are you waiting for? Start reading the Bible with your children before bed the very next time you can!
Bible resources:
The Bible Project – This awesome free resource provides video overviews of each Book of the Bible, tools and resources on theological topics, and many engaging resources to help you (and your children) grow in their Biblical knowledge.
Got Questions – This free resource is like a search engine for Biblical topics. It gives an overview for hundreds of thousands of important topics and provides additional resources, Scriptures, and more to learn about essential, practical, and even theological truths.
Enduring Word – This powerful free resource is an online, verse-by-verse commentary of the Bible. There is an app available to download for your smartphone or you can access it from your browser, tablet, or computer.
