Our church recently ran a Sunday School class for parents on leading family devotions. When I was asked if I would teach a class, I promptly said, “Yes,” because I think it’s encouraging for parents to hear that even one of their pastorsfails miserably at leading his family in devotions. Once I shared my many shortcomings, I did –by the grace of God –have a little tidbit to share that has been helpful as I have raised my kids.
When I was in seminary, I had a professor share that when each of his boys turned ten, he would read through the Bible with that child in a year. He would also have twelve adults who knew his son well write encouraging letters. Each month the new 10-year-old would receive a letter spurring them on in reading and sharing what the word of God has meant in their lives. At the end of the year, the child could pick any destination in the continental US to do a father/son trip.
This sounded like an awesome idea. At the time, my oldest son was turning ten in a few months. He loved to read, and he had interest in the Bible, so it felt like it would be a great experience. My middle son, who was eight at the time, might be a little more of a difficult sell when his time came, but if he saw his brother and dad doing it and getting to do a trip, he might be more onboard. I pitched the idea and sure enough my oldest was all in!
We ended up using an app that took us through the Bible in a year by giving a schedule of what to read each day. We usually read about three to four chapters a day, and there were helpful videos at the beginning of each book that clearly explained the themes and ideas.
The Spicy and the Slow- Tackling the Difficult Passages
One of the concerns people have about this idea is “Aren’t there things in the Bible that are way too graphic for a ten year old?” The answer is “Yes!” I’m not sure I realized how messed up things get in the book of Genesis until I read them through the eyes of my ten-year- old children. Let’s just say that consequences of Lot’s daughters’ actions with their father in chapter 19 were far reaching. Both my sons, two years apart, asked, “Dad, what’s going on here?” I buckled down and explained how things are supposed to work between two married adults, but here things were misappropriated. When this happened with my middle son, he shook his head and said, “Dad, this is a little much. The other day you tell me about circumcision, and now this?” I love that at some point in the future when sitting with their friends, sharing the awkward stories of when they had “the Talk” with their parents, my boys will open with, “We were reading the Bible with my dad. . .”
Other concerns people have are the slow parts of the Old Testament, like lists. My boys and I would read out loud to each other alternating by chapter. Sometimes when we would get to the lists, I would read louder and louder as I went along, or emphasize certain words ridiculously. It almost became fun to read the lists, and we would pay attention more closely to make sure we kept the cadence or hit the right word. We would also have fun with some of the words. There’s a song by John Mark McMillan called Heart Won’t Stop, where he pronounces the word “Sheol” with a very deep and southern drawl. Every time I read that word I would hit it just like McMillan. I’m pretty sure my oldest still reads it aloud that way.
It’s true there are some very uncomfortable things that come up as you read the Old Testament with a ten-year-old. The reality is that your child is going to be exposed to these things at some point, and what better way than in the context of the word of God? I was able to talk about many uncomfortable things found in Genesis and explain to my kids that God had designed people in his image for his purposes, but because those people have moved away from God, things became corrupted and broken. The story doesn’t end in brokenness, though. Everything we were reading was part of a bigger story pointing to our loving God coming to save his people and restore his creation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Sticking With It
I wish I could say this was the easiest process. There were days we missed, and times it felt forced. There were questions, discussion, and fatigue. My oldest and I stayed pretty on target and ended before the year was up. My middle son and I had a different experience. You’ll be happy to know we finished a few months ago right before his fourteenth birthday! My daughter got to watch her brothers do this and it built an excitement in her. She is currently ten and reading through with my wife.
We weren’t perfect, and I wasn’t always the best leader, but we did it. Both of my boys have read through the entire Bible. They have asked hard questions and wrestled through difficult topics, and I got to walk with them through all of it. As they get older, we can confidently encourage our children as Paul encouraged Timothy:
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3: 14-17).
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