Teach :: Trust
Our church was supposed to have a fun farewell dinner after church to send our pastor and his family off on their next adventure this past Sunday. Needless to say, prayerful decisions were made late last week and that did not happen. In the midst of this, he advocated the use of social media to make Christ’s presence known. Our leaders were asked to share some kind of devotional, word of encouragement, or spiritual/biblical insight to be posted on the church’s Facebook page over the next few weeks.
As the director of our children’s ministry, I felt that I should definitely participate, despite knowing full well that I am not fond of being on camera. I feel much more confident in my writing than my speaking! I signed up for a couple of dates and decided to peruse a topical index at the back of one of my Bibles. I honestly don’t remember what word or topic I searched for, but I was led to Psalm 78.
During our last leadership meeting, the importance of knowing the context of scripture was stressed. Keeping this in mind, I decided to see if there was anything helpful in my husband’s archaeological study Bible pertaining to Psalm 78. The background information I read said that this passage, Psalm 78, has similarities to an Egyptian/Mesopotamian hymn to Osiris. The Egyptian text proclaims the reign of Osiris over Egypt, and the biblical text proclaims the reign of God over all of Israel. While the Egyptian hymn builds upon the mythical slaying and rise of Osiris, the biblical text is based on specific events in history.
Now, on with Psalm 78. It’s a fairly long passage. The first eight verses are essentially an introduction, while the remaining verses are a list of the acts of God’s people and the powerful deeds of God. In reading the first verses, two words popped out to me: teach and trust. The way I read it, these verses are stressing the importance of teaching our next generation about God’s power and love. Why? So that they will trust God, remember his good deeds and keep his commandments.
As I thought about teaching the next generation, I tried to think of a real-life example where I make an effort at passing my knowledge on to the next generation. After a while, it dawned on me. Our basement pantry is filled with glass jars of food that I have canned. We have applesauce and peaches and green beans and tomatoes and bone broths and more. As my mother did with me, and her mother with her, I use (haha...force) my kids to help me in the summer and fall. They help with everything from planting seeds to weeding the garden to picking the produce to helping with the actual canning process.
.png)
In much the same way, I should be passing my knowledge of God’s powerful deeds and love to teach my kids to trust and obey God’s commandments. The learning process may be met with frustration and exasperation; more than likely more than a single “but I don’t wanna”.
As a kid, I remember being frustrated or annoyed with my mom when she wanted help with garden chores or canning, But now, years later, I am super appreciative that I have this particular skill set to help provide for my family. (Thanks, Mom! 😁)
As far as passing on knowledge of God's love, there are many ways to do this. The first one is to make attending church a priority. Another couple of ways to do this are to have family devotions together, or to practice memorizing Bible verses. Any of these, especially when first making a concerted effort, my be met with pushback. Keep trying! Your efforts may not be appreciated for many years, but someday, they will be.
What do you work hard to pass on to the next generation? What are some examples of things you do to teach your kids about God's power and love?
Comments
Post a Comment