When God brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt and made them his children, he had a lot of instructions for them, which are summarized in the 10 commandments. But how were the Israelites going to make these commandments their own?
The Lord tells us how in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 – “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 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. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Today, the same question arises. We have the Word of God, the whole story of Jesus written out for us, but how can a child make this faith their own? In the verses above, notice who has most of the responsibility, parents! When parents are teaching their children the Word, when they talk about it regularly, even having symbols such as the cross or a verse in a picture frame hanging on the wall, children will notice these things. They will begin to ask their own questions: “Why do we go to church every week? Why do bad things happen to us? What is the resurrection?” And before you are even aware, they are making faith their own!
This may be a daunting task for parents, especially if your children begin asking questions you are not sure how to answer, but you’re not alone. God has also given his people earthly shepherds, pastors who have been trained in the Word for years, just like the disciples, in order to help both parents and children grow in their faith. Classes are offered by pastors to guide children on their path of faith, to impress the Word on their hearts, so that when they are older, they will know how to apply those truths to many different situations.
What a beautiful thing it is when children are brought to the Lord in order to learn from him, making faith their own. Just as Jesus told his disciples, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these,” Matthew 19:14.
May we as parents never impede our children in making faith their own. If you don’t know of a church that has classes for your children or doesn’t have one, feel free to reach out to us here at Cross of Glory. We’re here to help!
By Pastor Andrew Schrimpf of Cross of Glory Lutheran Church
