“Tell me a story from when you were a little girl?” I knew the question was coming, as it did every night when I tucked my son into bed. I was running out of stories, but he didn’t care if he’d heard the same one before. He loved hearing about how I grew up, and he never grew tired or bored with hearing the same stories. He desired to know me more deeply.

Isn’t this what God commanded His people to do after crossing the Jordan? Joshua 4:6b-7 says, “When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. . . . So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” Informing our children of God’s work in our lives is foundational to developing their own relationship with Him. What are the key things I want my children to know before they leave home? I want them to know the one true God. I want them to know what He has done for them. As the Israelite parents told their children about God, I desire to do the same. And as God has commanded, I desire to obey (Deuteronomy 4:9, 6:6-7, 11:19; Proverbs 22:6; Isaiah 54:13; Ephesians 6:4; 2 Timothy 3:14-15). In light of that, I would love to share some ways my husband and I seek to establish a biblical foundation in our home, with the hope that the love of Christ takes root in our children’s hearts.

“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 

As parents, it is our first and foremost responsibility to model a relationship with Jesus Christ. We need to understand our calling as parents and our role in the biblical journey of our children. This begins with our own habits and the demonstration of our relationship with our Creator. Our children need to see us loving the Lord. They need to see us reading our Bibles and desiring to know God more. They need to see the joy and peace He brings to our lives. 

This relationship can be modeled by reading your Bible in front of them. I am not a morning person, but in our present season, it is the only quiet time in my home. So I wake up, grab my Bible, and take my place on the couch. I begin to read and soak in the teachings of my Lord. My boys wake up and join me. They snuggle with me and ask questions. It truly is a precious moment for me. I delight in them seeing me taking time to read and learn from God’s Word.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” —Proverbs 4:23  

Next, it is important to guard your home. I once heard that “[w]hatever comes into your home becomes a teacher within your home.” Who, or what, do you want teaching and influencing your children? Monitoring what your children watch, hear, and read is important. Look for biblical character being modeled in what your kids read and listen to, toys they play with, and shows they watch. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us a standard to reference: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Do you want your children to learn and demonstrate kindness? Then find resources that highlight characters showing kindness. Find videos, books, toys, music, etc., in which the characters are showing patience and self-control, and immerse your children in that content. I want my boys to understand biblical masculinity, so I find books and videos that model biblical manhood. When reading or watching videos together, we point out ways the characters are modeling the fruit of the Spirit. When characters show ungodly behaviors, we point that out as well and have a discussion about it. Remember: what is brought into your homes becomes a teacher and guide to your children (Philippians 4:6-7).

In addition to resources that address specific topics, surround your children with resources (books, videos, magazines, streaming, etc.) that teach a biblical worldview. Children will be able to recognize falsehoods, not because we teach them all of the false and worldly beliefs, but because we focus on teaching them the Truth. Knowledge of the Truth and the Light will equip them to recognize darkness and deceit. Deepening their knowledge of God is the only way to combat their knowledge of evil. Additionally, do not neglect prayers for your children, that God will aid them in overcoming evil by doing good (Romans 12:21).

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” —Colossians 3:16

A final word of encouragement from my family to yours: make it a practice to have regular times of family worship. Husbands, lead your wives in reading God’s Word together, accompanied by singing praise and praying together. Fathers, establish this pattern with your kids. Mothers, support and encourage your husbands as the God-assigned spiritual leaders of your households. I must confess that our family worship didn’t start out polished and refined. We began with my husband reading a chapter of the Bible and discussing it as a family. We learned this may not be the best method with little kids (ages two, four, and six at the time) as mature topics came up quickly in Genesis. Through trial and error, we discovered what works best for our family. It’s important to be flexible as seasons of life change, but to never neglect establishing and maintaining this precious time in the home as well as when on vacation or traveling. Worship time is essential to our family life. It is a time when questions are safe to ask. It is a time of prayer for each other and others we care about. We always end with some type of a song. This started with many nights of “Jesus Loves Me” and “Away in a Manger” and bits of songs from our liturgy, such as the Gloria Patri and Doxology. Now we include hymns we sing at church or praise songs.

In many ways I am still a little girl, growing and learning more about God each day. I hope a bit of my story encourages you in the story of your life and family. I pray that you will become diligent in establishing your home in righteousness and truth. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and may God bless you and your home in worshiping and serving Him alone (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17; Luke 4:8).

Jaclyn Czymbor
St. Peter Lutheran Church
Armour, SD

If you would like further recommendations or guidance on resources to use with your family, you can reach out to the author of this article ([email protected]) or contact AFLC Parish Education ([email protected]).