All in this Together: Share Your Faith

by Devin Dummel

Let’s be honest we all have them.  I’m not sure what to call them, but without them we feel like we would be lost. 

They are a strategic tool in the parenting toolbox, able to help us navigate some of the hardest moments involved in raising children.

You might call them “mantras” or your “go-tos”; you may not have a name for them, but I’m confident you have them.   Some of my parent’s favorite sayings were:

• ·        God didn’t put me on this earth to entertain you.
• ·        Life’s not fair.
• ·        I brought you into this world; I can take you out of it.

As a child my wife often heard:

• ·        Make it a great day!
• ·        Check your work
• ·        Practice, practice, practice even when you’re tired.

Now that our boys are getting older we are beginning to use some of these handy sayings – quick ways that we can respond to our boys when we are in need.  Here are a few that we have been working with:

• ·        We can do hard things.
• ·        Be brave because you’re a child of God; be kind because others are too.
• ·        In this house, we do not negotiate with terrorists.

 This isn’t a new idea.  This parenting concept has been around since the beginning of time.  God even instructed His people in the Old Testament to focus on and highlight the truths that they should ingrain in their family life.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.   Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.   – Deut. 6:4-5

These concepts were so important that God’s children should be taught these things constantly.  Families were instructed to use symbols as reminders, to ensure they didn’t forget the truths about God.   These ideas are so central and so influential that when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, His response began by quoting these instructions.

Passing these ideas down to the next generation was of crucial importance.  That is why they were encouraged to share them while they traveled, while they were at home and even as they went to bed.

⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.  – Deut. 6:6-9

Sharing your beliefs and your faith in God generations later is still just as important.  Your children are looking to you to help them navigate this crazy world.  It’s a mistake to assume that simply going to church and telling them to make good decisions will help them find and follow God.

The truth is we are blessed to have been given a blueprint for how we can go about building a foundation for our family relationships with the truths of God at the core.  Times have changed – we don’t often walk down the road together as a family – but lucky for us truth hasn’t.

If you’re not sure where to start sharing your faith, start with these three simple times:

1. Drive Time -  Some of the most overlooked time in our day is the time we spend in car.  It could be taking your kids to school, practice or the doctor’s office; next time you are behind the wheel think about how you could leverage the time and share your faith.  You could tell a story about something God has done or something you are learning.  You could play worship music.  You could ask your child where they have seen God that day.  The possibilities are endless; and what better way to fill your miles.

2. Dinner Time – It seems that more and more families spend less time sharing meals together.  Can you imagine what it would look like if each time your family gathered around a table you prayed together and shared what God was doing in your life?  What if you used your meal time as a place to let your children ask you questions about anything – it could get a little crazy, but it also could be the most impactful time in your day.

3. Down Time – Every family has this time, for some it’s more frequent than others.  In our family we love to spend a few minutes at bed time praying for one another.  Your down time may not be consistent, those minutes may be few and far between, but praying with or over your kids even if it’s just for a minute can leave mark that last’s their entire lifetime.

When you understand the heart of Deuteronomy 6, it’s easy to see that the goal isn’t just for you to hammer religious truths into your child’s mind.  The strategy is to share your faith at all times and in all ways so that they are able to soak it up.  We want our children not to just hear about our faith but see us live it out on a daily basis.

When we share our faith in the everyday moments, it will help our families live out their faith in everyday ways.  So, do what you need to.  Repeat key truths over and over.  Paint signs and hang them upon your doorposts.  Get a tattoo if that will help.  Whatever you do, don’t hold back!  Share your faith and share it often.  You never know which seed you plant, God will choose to water and the harvest that he could bring from it someday.