Teach Your Children Well

Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Deuteronomy 4:9 NIV

Sometimes thoughts line up together like hand in glove; each finger, each thought fitting perfectly, sliding easily into its rightful place. I am reading these mornings in Deuteronomy. The forty years are over, the grumbling almost quietened, the land of the promise visible from the highest hill just on the other side of the river Jordan. Joshua has been chosen. Moses has not. And so, Moses has his last words to the children of the people he started this journey with; the ones who embraced fear and cowardness at the first mention of giants in the land of Canaan. That land flowing with milk and honey.

Because of their refusal to trust God, they have been wandering in the wilderness for forty years; one year for each of the forty days the spies had explored the land God had promised to give them. Only their children would inherit that land. But with their inheritance came a book of instructions. Thousands of years later, on the other side of the world, we can't begin to understand how much these laws and decrees have influenced our government, our country, our lives, and our thoughts about what is right and what is wrong.

These laws were so important to God that he carved them into stone with His own finger. No pencil on a scrap of paper for Him. He even gave specific instructions on where these laws were to be stored: in our hearts. They – the tribal descendants of Israel, (and we – the spiritual descendants of Jesus), were to think about these stories and these laws as they sat down or as they walked along the way. Generation after generation. We were to teach them to our children so that they too would remember to love and honor the Lord our God and they would live a life of order and peace with each other.

“Oh no,” I think silently in the early morning light as I read and ponder these words of Moses and God’s laws, “I didn’t do a very good job of teaching my children God’s wonderful stories, God’s righteous laws. Regret. I depended more than I should have on our wonderful church, Sunday school teachers, youth pastors, and small-group leaders.

An hour later a photograph appears on my phone. There he is in cherub-faced sleep; his mother's message that for two nights in a row, he has fallen asleep looking at his book of Bible stories. The night before that my daughter found him asleep with one hand on an open page of his children's Bible. I feel my hand slip comfortably into the glove. Thoughts heard; small prayers answered.

In Kaitlyn’s book, What Now? which was my own recent nighttime reading, she tells of her family’s nightly devotionals. Her daddy, Taylor, would read a passage from the Bible and ask who of their 6 children would like to explain it. What a beautiful memory! It became an incredible example of a man leading his family well. Knowing, somehow, his days were short, he instilled the words and the love of God into his children's hearts. Perhaps we all need to be reminded our days are short. We need to teach our children well.

I have been writing The Jesus Stories, working to piece them together in a loose chronological order as much as possible. I have read the story of Jesus welcoming the little ones (and their mothers!). (Matthew 18:2-4, 19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17.) He gathered them to himself. He touched them. He placed his blessing on them. And it makes me think, who was he? Coming to a broken world with only a very short amount of time to tell his story of who God is and what He desires – yet Jesus found it important to sit down and gather the children to himself. To teach the children well.

I know it seems impossible. There are only so many hours in the day. Our culture tells you there are so many things that are important. More important. Your career. The style of your house and the newest color for the walls. Feeding your family a nutritious meal. There is schoolwork and all the good activities, soccer and ballet and baseball, and swim lessons. And baby needs a new pair of shoes, again. All these things are good and necessary. There just aren’t enough hours in the day, are there? So many other priorities…

I am reminded of what Jesus said to Martha. “You are anxious about many things. Mary has chosen what is good, and I will not take it away from her.” (My paraphrase from the story from Luke 10:38-42.) What had Mary chosen? To sit at the feet of the rabbi, Jesus. To be taught the laws and the lessons of God.

Today, may you, childlike, sit at the feet of God, the feet of Jesus. Bring the children. He seems to delight in them.

Turn Your Eyes - Jadon Lavik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYLsUsddykQ

This song spoke to my heart as I was writing this. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus"-is a hymn I grew up singing by Helen Lemmel. It was inspired by a writing penned by her friend and missionary Lilias Trotter “Focussed: A Story and a Song”. (Another interesting story in itself!) I find a deep truth in the third verse of this hymn.

His Word shall not fail you--He promised;

Believe Him, and all will be well:

Then go to a world that is dying,

His perfect salvation to tell!

And turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

FamilyGeorgia TannerMarch 2, 20235 Comments