When we first got married, my husband said he’d like to read the scriptures every day as a family. We actually started the day of our wedding and haven’t missed a day since, except for when he’s been out of town. As the children came along and learned how to read, we’ve incorporated them into the reading, giving them simple verses and helping them as needed.
We have one son who, for whatever reason, doesn’t like to read with us about half the time. He’ll fuss and complain, he’ll slur his words like he’s had one too many shots of Kool-Aid, or he’ll throw his book to the side and refuse to even do it. The rest of the time, he joins in and does great. I haven’t learned yet what makes the difference in his willingness from one day to the next, but I have learned some other things along the way, the best being – pick your battles.
The point of reading scriptures with your family is to get them accustomed to hearing them so they can get used to the language, so they can feel the Spirit while you’re reading, and so they’ll want to continue it for themselves throughout their lives. If we can make scripture reading a positive and uplifting experience for our children, later on, when they get discouraged or upset, they’ll remember the peace they felt while reading and they’ll turn to the scriptures as a natural source of comfort.
But creating this bond between children and the scriptures means that the reading time with parents needs to be approached with flexibility and with loving kindness. If parents force the children to sit and listen, the children will not get those positive messages. They will feel coerced into doing something they didn’t want to do. Sometimes that means letting this particular son of mine just listen instead of read. The important thing is that they remember the scriptures with fondness, not with resentment, so that later, they can gain a testimony of their own through God’s written word.
Tomorrow I will share some ideas for making family scripture time more fun and memorable to your children. Stay tuned!
Related Blogs:
Children’s Voices — Oh, How Sweet!
Has Your Personal Scripture Study Gotten Off Track?
Do You Have Time to Study the Scriptures?