I didn’t have anything to write for Kids in the Word when today began. The first 3 days of this week have been difficult – stressful, scattered, unfocused and plain bonkers. We didn’t start our Super Hero series, like I said we were going to because…well, simply because I’m human and lazy and things happened that were out of my control (yes, we got sick, again, but I won’t bore you with the details).
Frankly, I’ve been feeling plenty discouraged about our bible study times together. Because of this we haven’t pulled out our Narrow Way character study since….I think it was Wednesday last week. We still do our family devotions together, but the kids aren’t sitting still, constantly distracted, fidgeting and making noise. Plus, I feel like our mornings have been chaotic and full of bad attitudes (hmm, could this possibly be because we HAVEN’T been doing the extra bible study time? I wonder :D).
We also haven’t been doing very well in keeping up with reviewing our memory verses.At.All. And that memorization box and system I was going to put together on the weekend? Didn’t happen either. So there’s plenty of discouragement and over-whelmed-ness (I made that up) going on over here.
We have a lot going on (who doesn’t!). Too much. So we’ve been praying about cutting some things out. All today I have been thinking that maybe Awana needs to go. There are so many verses to keep up with, plus our own memory verses, and school stuff, co-op homework….it’s just too much to do and I didn’t feel like they were really LEARNING the stuff, just whipping through it to get the checkmark.
But then this happened. While reviewing the sections for tonight with my 6 1/2 year old before quiet time, he sang all 66 books of the bible. In order. I can barely say the New Testament, but this bright, rambunctious, rowdy, mischievous, almost 7 year old knows them all by heart.
It isn’t perfect, but he knows it. Well. And to top it off, both boys said our family memory verses (4 in a row) perfectly.
So it made me realize. It isn’t following some fantastic bible curriculum or character study, pounding verses into our heads every day, or doing bible-related crafts (although these are all good!) to keep up with everyone else.
What is important is that we ARE getting into God’s word, and that God’s word is getting into our hearts.
No.Matter.What.
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
(Deuteronomy 6:7 ESV)
I know the memory verses we are doing at home, along with the ones from Awana, are sticking! God will honour the desire and diligence of the parent teaching their child from God’s word – even when things become overwhelming and you aren’t doing it as often as you should, he can and will use HIS WORD in the mouths of his little ones to bring YOU back to focus on him.
You might be surprised to know just how much they are actually absorbing, even if it seems like they aren’t getting it.
I know I was.
