Craving the Word

I don't like my children to drink coke and only on rare occasions will I allow them to have some. When my three year old son was only two, he had a taste of coke--big mistake! My husband and I often drink coke for dinner and one night I left the table to get something and my son slid down from his chair, grabbed my coke, and took a big gulp. I quickly ran back and retrieved the coke from him, but it was too late--he had already got a taste of the goodness of coke! Ever since that one taste, my son begs for a drink of coke because he craves it.

We, as parents, should diligently seek to instill a craving for God's Word in our children. We should give them the initial taste, so that they taste its sweetness and crave more. How do we do this? First, we allow them to see our own craving. You see, my son saw me drinking coke often and he must have concluded it tasted good if I drank it so often. The same applies to the Word of God. If our children see us reading God's Word often and getting excited about what we read, they too will yearn to read it and see what is in it that makes it so exciting.

Children are excellent impersonators; they closely look at our actions and try and do what we do. Just tonight, I was talking with my husband and as we were talking I saw my five year old son standing next to him mimicking him. While we were talking, my son had ran into his room and put on a t-shirt that matched my husband's t-shirt. He ran back in the room and stood next to my husband with his matching t-shirt and arms crossed just like his daddy. It was cute and funny, but oh what a perfect example of how closely they watch us and how eager they are to mimic us.

If our children see us reading the Word of God, they too will want to read the Word of God. They will be curious to know what is so special about it that keeps us interested and reading it so often. However, if they never see us reading God's Word or they see us reading it sporadically, they will conclude that it is not interesting or important and they will not develop a craving for it.

I usually have my quiet time reading the Bible first thing in the morning, when everyone is still asleep. However, I also make a conscious effort to keep the Bible available throughout the day so I can read it in front of my children. I truly want to be an example to them and want them to know that I believe it is important. Just as my son saw me drinking coke and wanted to know how it tasted, I also want my children to see me reading the Bible and become curious to know how It tastes.

Once we set an example for our children of reading God's Word, our next job is to give them a taste. It would be great if our children grabbed our Bible the second we stepped away and hungrily began reading it and enjoying it. However, we usually have to be the ones who give them that initial taste. We give them that taste by reading God's Word to them on a level that is comprehensible and applicable to them. When I read the Bible to my children I try to substitute large words with small, simple words so that they can enjoy God's Word and apply it to their lives. I also try to make God's Word exciting to them by reading stories or books of the Bible that I know are of interest to them or that would apply to what is going on in their lives.

I also try to read the Bible to them in an animated tone so as to capture their attention. Basically, my goal is to get them interested in the stories/teachings, so that they could enjoy it and want more of it. Not too long ago my seven year old asked me, "Mom, why does my tummy feel full but my mouth stay hungry?" What a clear description of overeating! However, that is what I want from my children; I want the mouths of their hearts and minds to continually hunger for the Word and never become full. I can achieve this by giving them bite-sized, understandable, and applicable teaching from God's Word. The Bible says, "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good . . ." (Psalm 34:8 NKJV). I fully believe that once their little mouths taste and see how amazing and relevant the Word is, they will crave it continually.

We can teach our children many important things about loving God, how much Jesus loves them, and how to be a Christian. Yet, the most important thing that we can do is to get our children into God's Word to experience it for themselves. The book of Hebrews tells us, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12 NKJV). The Bible is powerful and is a Christian's instruction guide on how to live out every aspect of our lives for the glory of God. Moms, let's instill a craving in our children that will transform their lives and cleanse their souls--let's teach them to crave God's Word!