Instilling a Love for the Bible in Kids at Home
My eldest child was beginning middle school and she came to her father with a confession. “Dad, I have to tell you something. At night, I haven’t been going to sleep after you tuck me in. I know you expect me time to go straight to sleep, but sometimes I’m just not tired. I have a flashlight, and I have been reading my Bible secretly under the covers.” It’s the confession every parent would like to hear. Now my daughter is seventeen, and she continues to pursue the Lord through His Word. Here are three ways we fostered a love of the Bible in our home.
Fostering a Love of Scripture in Our Home
- We modeled a love of Scripture, but never forced it on our kids. Scripture is a beautiful love letter from God. It should never be treated as a textbook or used as a punishment. No one should EVER be forced to read God’s Word. Salvation didn’t give me a love for the Bible. It grew over time and as the product of much prayer. If we want our kids to love God’s Word, we have to begin by loving it ourselves.
- We gave them the freedom to let their time with God to be unique. We did this while also teaching them the basic elements of personal worship. My daughter is artistic. For her a devotional is often illustrating Scripture. Her time with the Lord looks different than mine. That’s OK. We didn’t force or expect uniformity, but we did teach our kids that personal worship involves God’s Word, prayer, and a focus on Him.
- We did it with them. The Bible is different than other books. Other books you read for information or entertainment, but the Bible allows us to interact with the Living God. Learning to engage with the Bible in a meaningful way must be taught and one way to do that is to do it with your children.
We all want our kids to love God’s Word, but we must acknowledge that, in the end, only God can give our children a love of Scripture. We must remember that sometimes the most important thing we can do is pray! At the same time, we should foster a love for the Bible in our children by modeling that love, encouraging our kids to find their own style, and spending time with them in the Bible.
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