I know, intellectually, that Sunday school doesn’t systematically teach my kids about their faith. Yes, it teaches some things about their faith, but it can’t be the only vehicle used to impart a knowledge and understanding of the Christian faith. And yet, I’ve let things go with the safety net of Sunday school and youth group.
Sure, we live out our faith in small ways at home. We pray throughout the day. We memorize scripture together. We read the Bible (but not everyday). We talk about God and His will and His world. We learn about the world through God’s eyes rather than from a secular humanist perspective. We do family devotionals…sporadically. What we are missing is the diligence.
I am very specific and purposeful when it comes to homeschooling our children. I plan an extraordinary education for them and I ensure that we pursue it. I have a vision for what I want for each of my children as they leave our home at the end of this part of their education and I know what steps need to be taken between now and then. Where is that vision and plan for their spiritual development?
I have shied away from anything formal and structured because I don’t want to fall into legalism. I want my children to have a relationship with Jesus, I want them to know they can go to God with anything, I want them to feel the grace of God’s mercy.
I also want to keep God’s commands. He didn’t sit down and write the Bible as some tyrannical tirade - a list of do’s and don’t’s that must be followed. I think he wrote out of love; as a father to his children. He has given us the secret to life - everything we need to have the best lives possible. Freedom from the pain and the brokenness that abounds in our culture. Freedom to love deeply without holding back.
I’m called to make disciples of my children and teach them all that God has commanded. I do this by teaching them about God’s world remembering the words of Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception,ccording to the traditions of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” Their education is Christ centered; they are not swallowing secular humanism and the relevatism that goes along with it. But, am I diligently teaching my kids all that God has commanded? No, not really.
I want to become more ordered in the teaching of our faith and pass on some clear knowledge of our beliefs to our children. To do this I have to look honestly at what we’ve done so far and figure out where we’ve fallen short.
This year our family faith development has looked like this:
Bible reading - fairly regular but also fairly sporadic. NIV as well as the Jesus Storybook Bible.
Prayer - on school days we pray after we do Bible. We pray at dinner and at bedtime and during the day sometimes (like if an ambulance drives by or if we’re all getting overwhelmed).
Bible Knowledge - occasional trips into Victor’s Journey Through the Bible.
Bible applied to the real world - our study of history, literature, geography, and philosophy are all from a Christian perspective as is our study of science; the kids have a Christian outlook on life in general so God is a part of our lives and our conversations. Daisy and I have worked through Preparing Your Daughter for Every Woman’s Battle and are currently working through Authentic Beauty.
Biblical Relationships - this comes up as we read the Bible, as we go about our day, and as we study Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends.
Memory - This year they have memorized the first chapter of the Book of James. It’s ongoing.
Worship - We listen to a lot of Christian music, but we don’t play any.
Where I want to go:
Bible Reading - an integral part of every single day with everyone in the family.
Prayer - I love what Dr. Baucham suggests about praying scripture and I think we’ll add that to our Bible reading time. I want prayer to be a bigger part of our lives.
Bible Knowledge - a clear understanding of what we believe and why we believe it. I want them all to have the ability to answer for the hope that is in them. I want them to stand firm in their beliefs, like a tree with deep roots, so that they are not blown and tossed by the wind.
Bible applied to the real world - I want them to understand what a Biblical worldview is and to understand other worldviews and how they compare. I want them to critically think of what they read, watch, listen to and weigh it from a Biblical perspective. I want to immunize them against spoonfeeding.
Biblical relationships - I want them to experience the love of Christ and to respond to others with that love as their strength.
Memory - I want this to be a part of every day, not just every school day.
Worship - I’d love to have a family worship time each day.
Now I just need to pray and then plan and then pray some more.