Psalm 78 contains a principle that has guided a majority of how I parent with intention:
1 Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;
6 That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
8 And may not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
One generation … that’s me, my husband, our parents, our people, our tribe
Shall tell the next generation … my children, my tribe’s children, my nieces and nephews
Of the mighty deeds of God … even when it doesn’t FEEL like it, He is mighty – He is good – and He is worthy
Deuteronomy 6 also speaks of the telling…
6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
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.
Teach them diligently … dedicated, committed, and actively teaching them
Talk of them when you walk, when you lie down, when you sit, when you rise … Tell them….When? All.The.Time.
Many of my Jewish friends just finished the Passover mean and are now observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread which will continue through Saturday. Before Passover, they rid their homes of all leaven and will not eat anything pertaining leaven for the next several weeks. At their Passover Seder meals, they had a time of ‘telling’ the next generation of the Exodus and the mighty things God did for their Jewish ancestors as the children of Israel left Egypt. They are instructed to tell their children. This week, this feast, this observance is all about telling their children. They are intentional and purposeful about it. We see it in Psalm 78 – the entire chapter is about the Exodus. We see it spoken of in Deuteronomy; tell them all the time, no matter where you go or where you are – tell them. We are commanded to tell our children. It’s that simple.
The Feast of Unleavened bread continues all this week. Those observing the Feast this week will partake of Matzos with their meals and not the yummy, fluffy, yeast-laden breads and cakes. Leaven is the thing that ‘puffs up’. Symbolically speaking I have immeasurable ‘leaven’ (aka: SIN) in my life that “puffs” me up. And as they eat the Matzos together, the children will be told about God.
Our children will always be told something. The question is … what are we telling them? Are we counteracting the lies of the world? Are we amplifying the voice of God over the voice of the enemy? Are we speaking truth to counteract the lies their little hearts hear?
The telling starts with me. And in order to have something worth telling, I have to experience Him. I have to know Him. I have to encounter Him. Randal’s encounter starts with me. Alathia’s encounter starts with me. And encounter requires making room for God.
Here are a few ways I practice telling my children:
- Faith-Booking (think scrapbooking… pictures with testimonies of things God has done),
- Journaling – I have several going – one to them, one with them, and a family one
- Observing the Sabbath – it’s become a habit to light the candles, implement the elements, and to “remember” what the Lord brought us through the past week and to “rest” together from the weariness of the week
Join me this week in setting aside time to tell them how great God is through word, through action, and through deed.
More of Him, less of me
~Marci