Princess Leia had no firsthand knowledge of what General (Ben) Kenobi had done. She relied on her father’s stories and recollections of what General Kenobi had done.
The only way she was going to learn about what Ben did was at home. The Empire was not going to allow it to be taught in its schools. If there was an “Intro To Jedi History”, it certainly would not portray the Jedi in a positive light.
Today, we face a similar situation.
[Tweet “Years ago you served my father.”]
Who Will Teach Our Children?
The public schools are not going to portray God in a positive light.
If you are waiting for the Church do it, good luck. Typically your child will only be at church for 2-3 hours per week. A good portion of that time will not be spent being taught, but spent socializing with friend.
How will the next generation learn about what God has done?
[Tweet “It is your responsibility to pass down what you know about God to your child.”]
A Biblical Case
The most popular passage in all of Scripture comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-7.
In the ESV we read:
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 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. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (emphasis added)
The passage is referred to by Jews as the Shema. It’s the central prayer in the Jewish prayerbook. Often it is the first section of Scripture that a Jewish child would learn.
Many Jews recite the Shema at least twice daily: once in the morning and once in the evening. (source)
We will spend more time with our kids than almost any other individual. We are responsible to teach them about God.
In 2 Timothy 1:5 (ESV) Paul writes “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.”
Timothy learned the faith based on his grandmother and mother.
We need to take an active role in sharing our faith with our children. We also need to share stories of what God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have done.
Use every day activities as opportunities to instruct your child.
