In the Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown and his friends always heard the voice of adults as a “blah blah blah.” As a child, I really didn’t understand the humor in this, but by the time I reached my teenage years, I got it. Now that I am a parent (of a teen, no less), I am pretty certain that this is exactly what she hears when I talk to her. This makes the element of teaching a true challenge as parents.
Proverbs 24:3
By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
Solomon was renowned for his wisdom, and he wrote much of it down in the book of Proverbs. Many of the chapters in this book are addressed to his sons. He saw the true value in showing his offspring how to live properly and what pitfalls to avoid. This verse further establishes that instilling wisdom, Godly wisdom, will build up your family over generations to come. So, it’s important. How do we do it?
Deuteronomy 6:6-7
These commandments that I give you today are to be on 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.
At first glance, you see the instruction to talk with you children about the commandments all the time – at home, on the road, in the morning and in the evening. This is good. We see this illustrated by the fact that our kids can finish some of our phrases and sentences for us. Instilling those things in our kids directly impacts their future actions and attitudes. Some of those are good, and some are bad. I can repeat quickly some things I heard from my parents that probably aren’t the best of advice or reactions. Of course, I have a larger store of very wise sayings I inherited from them. Brandi told me of an eCard floating around the internet that says, “I just opened my mouth and my mother came out.” I guess a good question to ask ourselves as parents is when that happens to our kids someday – will they say something we could be proud of? Perhaps even God-honoring? It’s important to remember that they are like sponges and remember everything – even if they respond as though they didn’t hear a word.
However, these is another key point in that verse that can be easily overlooked. It says to impress them on your children. This statement implies that we need to be walking the walk, not just talking the talk. Kids, and especially teens, have a unique ability to see right through fake, disingenuous, and shallow words that aren’t backed up by action. We cannot as parents expect them to reflect the teaching that comes from our mouths, if our actions go directly against, or even 30 degrees off to the side, of what we’ve said we believe.
It’s something to think about as you decide what to teach your kids. Actions and words must align. And honoring God at the center of all your teaching will help to instill your faith into their lives.
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