Teaching Life's Parables

 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: 7 (ESV)

 It’s not unusual for a family pet to wander off.  We lost our dog a few months ago. We called him.  We searched the neighborhood. We asked the neighbors. Finally, a neighbor suggested we look on the website for animal control. There was his picture so we phoned to find out how to retrieve him. We had less than twenty-four hours to claim him without cost. It was over an hour's drive to the shelter. We had no supper and it was already dark. We couldn’t just let him go. When we arrived we found him scared, without his collar, and ready to leave. We loaded him into the truck and drove home. Here was a moment for us to seize. A moment to teach our children about the parable of the lost sheep. They could relate to the feelings of the shepherd. The relief of the sheep when it was found and taken home on the shepherd’s shoulders. All we needed to do was ask, “Do you remember the parable we read about the lost sheep?” (Luke 15) for a meaningful conversation.  

Taking this example again, if we hadn’t read this parable when the incident happened we might have later read it with our children. That’s when we might have asked, “Do you remember when we lost our dog?” Either way, children can make the connections of scripture to their daily lives.

When daily Bible study is a part of our family’s routine, those teachable moments are easily seen. We can facilitate our children’s learning by allowing them to make the relationships of the scriptures they already know to their daily lives. Facilitating their learning rather than simply telling them the answers allows them to think through and imprint truth in their hearts. They are retelling the scripture and their experience. Yes, as a parent or grandparent we are there to fill in the gaps, but our children need to do most of the thinking and speaking to hold onto and personalize the truth of God’s word.

 Anything and everything can be used to teach our children. Jesus spoke in parables. The parables were about the things in the everyday life of the Jewish people. He spoke to them about sheep, and seeds, and making bread. Our children have similar experiences that we can use to teach God’s truths. 

First, our children need to know God’s word through daily family Bible study.

Blessings for your family,

Gail