I was at a parenting conference, and there was someone speaking that has one of those families who kids grew up all loving the Lord and loving their family. The dad said that they had the kids memorize scripture for behavior. We certainly are doing that in our character series. I have also done it so that they quote it while we’re talking about discipline issues. When we were really dealing with Abigail’s struggle to tell the truth, I can still hear her in a dramatic, animated voice, “The Lord DOES NOT like lying lips, but he DELIGHTS in man who is truthful.” Because we were working on this so intensely for a time, this verse became very ingrained in all of our minds. The speaker I mentioned before would ask for these scriptures in moments of discipline, and if the kids could quote the Bible to address their own behavior, he’d give them a quarter. We haven’t done that reward (not sure we will yet), but I think it’s very effective to get to the heart of why we are doing things – because God has the best plan laid out for us. My church is adopted a “family equipping” philosophy. They have supporting marriages and families as a focus in Christian development. They provided us with a “Faith at Home Recipe Card” that is perfect for this kind of instruction. I wanted to pass along this so that you would have access to scripture for certain behaviors. You can also get the “Great Kids” phone app for $3.99.
This is awesome! Any tips on how to ensure that it doesn’t make kids hate Scripture? I’m thinking of The Poisonwood Bible where the children have to copy the Bible when they’re in trouble and end up viewing the word of God as punishment. The quarter business would help if they already knew the verse, but what about when you’re assigning it?
That’s a really good question, and I haven’t thought about it too much. The one thing I would say is that there has to be such a balanced approach in parenting and in teaching faith. I think that was missing with the Poisonwood Bible. The love and the grace were completely missing. By creating an atmosphere in your home where you show how much love you have for them and truly living out your faith in a way that balances the grace and the standards God has for us is key. Live out Jesus’ mission in truly loving and serving people – including your kids – will speak volumes. I definitely want to reach my kids hearts at the matter and not have it be all about the outward behavior. I think a huge key to that is helping them fall in love with Jesus – what he was truly teaching while He was on earth, the love He has for them and the sacrifice He made. It can’t be about a bunch of rules that aren’t paired with those fundamental truths. Those are my first thoughts. I love the dialogue and would love to hear if you come up with any thoughts or ideas. It’s good to keep at the forefront of thought.