"Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union." Malachi 2:15I read this verse recently and it just jumped out at me. What does God want from my marriage?
Godly children.
That is the one thing he desires from us! Children that love him! Everything else that he instructs us concerning marriage is really all for this one purpose! And how do we do that? How do we raise children that love God? Jesus told us the single most important commandment was to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind (Matthew 22: 37). When we live our lives in love with God it will be evident in all we do.
Do you remember what you looked like when you first fell in love? Everyone could tell! There was a lightness about you, a joy that just couldn't be contained, an infectious care-free spirit. Is this what our children see in us towards our God?
I pray they do!
And when we love the Lord our God we will love His Word, his Love Letter to us. I've been sporadic about our family Bible time. I've not been completely consistent. But I've seen that when I'm excited about teaching my Lil Man lessons from the bible, when I'm excited about teaching him about God's love, he is too! It's so amazing to see his little heart respond to the instructions of our Father.
God desires His Word to be a natural part of our day. To be intertwined with everything we do as a family.
"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." Deuteronomy 11: 18-19Sharing the word of God with our children can be that simple. As simple as incorporating Bible lessons during play time, while cooking with our kids, while taking walks together. It doesn't have to be "formal", in fact it should be as natural as breathing.
I've found a great Bible study book for younger children (ages 3-8) and we have really enjoyed it. It's called WWJD for Kidz. It has thoughtful questions, fun learning songs and rhymes, activities and bible memory verses. It has been a wonderful find for this sometimes scatterbrained mamma!
Even though I do want to make sure we study the Bible everyday together, teaching my children to love God should never look like endless rules and empty rituals. It should look like love. Light, Joyful, and Easy.
