2 Minute Quiz
Take just 2 minutes to answer the following four questions.
#1: Choose A, B or C as a technique you might use for teaching your child to read:
A. Enroll in a school program where reading is taught five days a week. Practice reading at home with your children and help them sound out words. Purchase or borrow fun and exciting books to help keep reading interesting.
B. Drop your child off at the library once a week and pick them up an hour later.
C. Fill your home with bookshelves filled with all kinds of books. Hope that your child will eventually pick a book off the shelf and start reading.
#2: Choose A, B or C as a technique you might use for teaching your child to play baseball:
A. Sign-up to be on a baseball team where coaches work with your child on skills for hitting, fielding and throwing. Buy your child a glove, ball and bat. Several times each week find time to play catch and practice batting.
B. Take your child to an empty baseball field. Give them a glove, ball and bat. Without saying a word, watch to see how they use the equipment.
C. As much as possible, have baseball games on TV playing in the background of your home.
The best answers to questions 1 & 2 seem obvious. And, the alternative answers seem almost ridiculous. See if the answer to question 3 is as obvious and if the alternatives are as far fetched.
#3: Choose A, B or C as the technique you might use for teaching your child about the Christian faith:
A. Take your child to church once a week. Drop them off at Sunday School for an hour or two.
B. Live a good life and go to church as regularly as possible. Hope that your child picks up the faith by watching how you live.
C. Each week take time to proactively teach your child God’s Word. Look for opportunities daily to apply the Truths being learned through the lessons you have been teaching. Support the teaching at home by participating in church Sunday School and children programs.
#4: Prioritize the following three outcomes of educational, athletic and spiritual training. Which outcome is most important to you:
Rank
___ Your child becoming a straight A student.
___ Your child batting .360 for the season.
___ Your child developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
In question 4, most of us would choose our “child developing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ” as the highest priority. However, most of us will find from answering questions 1, 2 and 3 that more of our time and resources go into our child’s education and athletic endeavors than into their spiritual development.
Intentionally or unintentionally, we are teaching our children what we value to be important. In Matthew 6:21 we read, “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” We might also say, what the parent treasures, there will be the heart of the child also.
There is nothing wrong with a good education or enjoying sports. Yet, there is something wrong when families omit the Bible and the application of a Christian worldview from daily life. Do our children see us treasure the faith? When our children are grown, will they look back to their childhood and have memories of a home that was full of Grace and Truth because God’s Word saturated family life? Can our children see from the way we use our time and resources that following Jesus is our highest priority?
Family Time activities are just one way you can incorporate Bible teaching into the life of your family. We highly recommend age-appropriate Bible reading, Scripture memorization, Biblical devotionals, and Christian media of all kids (movies, book, and music in particular).
Need some suggestions? Check out our Recommended Resources page.