Many parents found that the best way to honor God's instructions in Deuteronomy 11:18-19 is through stories. Children love stories. Who doesn't? Stories stimulate emotions. Asking children, "How does that make you feel?" is a way of helping them learn to express emotions. Children also like to hear about your childhood. Parents and grandparents give children a sense of belonging and family history when they share such stories.
If you have children, remember that reading and telling stories is one way to give a child quality time. For those brief moments, the child has your undivided attention. If this is the child's primary love language, then nothing is more important than making him or her feel loved. When you meet a child's need for love, you are laying the foundation for a bright future.
Telling stories of the faith is an important way for you to teach children about God. Whether you're retelling events from the Bible or sharing about how God worked in your lives today, you can set a strong foundation of faith. Your whole family will benefit.
Even if you aren't around children, learn to tell stories from God's Word. If you do, your future kids will find themselves in a family in which talking about spiritual things comes naturally.
Take time to pray and ask God to bless your efforts to communicate with others stories about your Word. Ask Him to communicate with your children. Ask Him to help you take the time to talk, to connect, to tell stories, and especially to teach them about Him.
Discuss and reflect on these questions:
What's your favorite Bible story? Why?
What do you need to work on in order to become a better storyteller to your children?
What skills could you and your loved ones combine to create an effective storytelling team?
Consider these passages for further study on sharing God's Word:
Exodus 10:2 that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 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.
Isaiah 38:19 The living, the living—they praise you,
as I am doing today;
parents tell their children
about your faithfulness.
Deuteronomy 11:18-19 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 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.
Great thoughts of Gary Chapman. My personal favorite stories are all the amazing miracles Jesus did. It amazes me every time I read and listens to the amazing things he did with people of faith. It grows my faith stronger each time to hear and share the amazing things he did.