Practical Steps To Take If You Feel Unqualified To Teach Your Kids The Bible

Sharing is caring!

 

Okay, I have a confession to make.

Some days, I feel overly confident in my ability to teach my kids the Bible. They are so young which means we are still working on the basics. Also, I would like to believe I have a decent grasp of the Bible, academically speaking.

Then the other 360 some days of the year, I find myself fighting feelings of being unqualified to train my own kids from the Bible. I question if I am doing enough, ponder if I am capable of doing it well, and doubt whether I said the right thing at all!

And my daughter is just now getting old enough to start asking questions. LOTS of questions. Questions that are uncomfortable to answer sometimes. And from what I have gathered these questions don’t slow down or get easier any time soon!

So, today’s post is as much for myself as it is for you. Let’s walk through this together…cause some days that is the only way we can make it! 🙂

*This post contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase through these links. You can read our disclosure policy here. Thanks for your support of this ministry!*

 

 

The Top Four Things That Hinder My Teaching

First, I am a sinner.

My sin nature that I am still fighting during this time on earth causes me to place other things as more important than training my kids to love the Lord, especially through His Word. If I am honest, I have to pause and confess this sin way too often.

While training my kids to read their ABCs and put socks on the right way is necessary, it is not the most high calling of motherhood. Demonstrating the loving Gospel message to them is my main job as their Christian mother.

Second, Satan delights to feed me lies.

Seriously, I know God has called me to teach my children. In fact, God has gifted me as a teacher in so many ways. Yet, I still fall for the lies that Satan whispers about my inability to teach my kids.

God has called us to parent our children and He will help us to do that even when we mess up along the way. We just can’t let Satan’s lies keep us from doing our job as spiritual trainers of our children!

Third, I get lazy.

Honestly, laziness is HUGE for me. Teaching the Bible to my kids takes effort and being intentional on my part. A lot of days I just don’t want to put forward that energy. With God’s help, I must put in the effort and self-control necessary to fight back against this enemy of laziness.

Whether that means finding a program to help walk me through it step by step so I don’t have to do all the planning myself or perhaps getting up early to prepare for the day for 10 minutes. Whatever it is, I need to put in some effort.

That being said, I don’t have to wait until it is perfect. Some days will be muddled and chaotic. Embrace a moment in that day to pray with your child. Point out a pretty bird that God made. Something. Anything that puts Christ and His great love before our kids.

Finally, I feel silly.

Yep, often, I feel like I am silly and overly uptight for being so called to pour the Bible into my kids lives. But I have to step away from what the world calls radical and follow what God calls me to do as a mom.

Perhaps none of your mom friends seemed as concerned about it. That’s okay. You are not called to live their lives or even be their Holy Spirit. You are called to faithful to the calling that God has put on your life as the spiritual trainer of your children.

Practical Steps To Gain Confidence As You Teach Your Kids The Bible

Study the Bible yourself.

You truly can’t teach what you don’t know. Take time to spend in the Word of God. It doesn’t have to be any huge, taxing hour long study. Find 15 minutes of time in your day to focus on your study. It will amaze you how far you can get with just 15 minutes a day.

Some suggestions I have tried include:

• Bible Study training methods. Check out Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin. Currently, I follow her steps for Bible study in a short little 15-20 minute time slot of my day. No, I don’t get super far each day but what I do get is truly wonderful! Two other great options include How to Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur and His Word Alone by Summer Lacy.
• Bible apps. Get an automatic Bible reading plan through an app such as YouVersion or Bible Gateway. My husband prefers the YouVersion app and has found a year long program that fits best for his schedule. I tend to enjoy the Bible Gateway read-through-the-Bible program that is sent directly to my email. I often read it first thing in the morning while I am nursing our little guy. No hassle. Just open an email and read!
• Audio Bible. Sometimes life is just not such that we can sit down to read (at least not without falling asleep…) Make your time that you are folding laundry, cooking supper, or washing dishes a time of meaningful study by listening to someone read the Bible to you!

Pray and ask God for the right words and the wisdom.

In the book of James, it states that anyone who needs wisdom should ask because God give it freely. Seriously, beg of God to give you the right words in the moment when you need wisdom.

Don’t let panic take over. Rest in the promise that God is with you and will help you through the hard questions your kids will bring you as you study Scripture together.

Find an older mother to guide and give you suggestions.

In Titus, God commands older women to teach younger women how to do many things including loving her husband and children. Seek out a spiritual mentor who can perhaps walk with you through your struggles. Chances are there will be some older Christian woman who has felt the way you feel. And there is a real possibility she would love to help carry your burden of spiritually training your children.

Pray and ask that God helps you find such a person to help you along in your journey.

Just spend time together reading the Bible with your kids.

Okay, I know there are great programs and resources out there to help your kids grow to love the Bible. However, at the end of the day, the best method is to simply introduce your kids to an age-appropriate Bible and read it together.

If they are little, it could be a Children’s Bible written in words they understand. Once they are little older, give them a Bible and let them follow along as you read aloud. As they become capable readers, let them do some of the reading even! Consider having teenagers even prepare a family devotion time once a week based off what they are currently reading in their Bibles.

Talk about what you read. Sometimes what you read might not be too impacting in the moment. But you never know when later in the week, something that you read will be just what your child needs to deal with a new situation that just came up.

Make Bible study a priority in your family’s day.

If our kids don’t see us making the Bible (and our relationship with God) a priority, they will never make it personally a priority. Carve out time in your day. This doesn’t have to be legalistic. Just practical.

Growing up, my mom required that I practice my piano for 30 minutes a day. She didn’t force me to do it at the same time everyday. I could choose early morning, after lunch, late evening or any other point in my day. Whenever worked for our schedule of the day. Just so long as I got that 30 minutes in before bedtime.

Approach Bible study in a similar way. Your family doesn’t have to always do it at the same time every single day. Perhaps during the week days one time works and during the weekends another time works. That is okay. Just make it happen at some point in your day.

Once your kids see it being a priority to you, they will grow accustomed to this being a part of their priorities as well.

Find the right teaching materials to help supplement your own teachings.

We truly live in an amazing age. Seriously, have you heard of Pinterest? 🙂 There is loads of teaching materials out there-both free and paid. This material is designed to guide you as you teach your kids the Bible.

Thinking about walking your kids through the story of Noah? Simply find programs, crafts, and more about this topic with a simple Pinterest search. Often, you can find something for each age group.

 

Other options to consider could include:

Answer In Genesis Sunday School is a great chronological walk through of the Scriptures in age-appropriate matters. We have some friends who used it at home rather than at church and they loved it!

All-in-One Sunday School is a series of books that are reproducible and can help you walk through the Bible with several age groups all at once. Again, while it is geared for a Sunday School, it works wonderful for home Bible study as well.

Family Devotional Books. My suggestions include Keys for Kids, Adventures in Odyssey 90 Days of Devotions for Kids, and One Year of Dinner Table Devotions.

Plan ahead.

Honestly, this one is where I struggle. I have all these great ideas. We own piles of curriculum and free printables. I have ideas on what topics I want to show them next from the Bible. But I don’t plan so all the sudden I realize I can’t do this activity or that project because I failed to plan in advance.

Nothing bugs me more than having to stand there and cut something out why my kids grow impatient with delays and lose focus. And then I get frustrated because of the lack of preparation and it leads to a quick downward spiral of everyone’s day.

Skip that headache and make a plan. Perhaps once a week or even once a month, sit down and write out a plan of what you will attempt to get covered in your Bible teaching. Then check to see what will need to be prepared in advance and prepare it!

When I follow my own advice, I find that I enter this time of Bible teaching with calm focus. Which is way better than being stressed about last minute preparations.

Just do it!

Take the leap of faith and just start trying to teach your kids the Bible. It won’t be perfect but it doesn’t have to be.

Start where you are and learn and grow. Don’t let analysis paralysis set in. Check laziness at the door. Let the Holy Spirit help you learn the self-control necessary to purposefully, prayerfully, and passionately teach your kids the Bible every single day.

God is faithful to fill in the cracks when we mess up as parents. He is also faithful to help us as we parent. Let’s get to work showing our kids the wonders of God’s Holy Word!

 

Your Turn

What are some of your biggest struggles as teach your kids the Bible?

What are some ways that you have found help you overcome those struggles?

Share any ideas or encouragement you have with other moms in the comments below! Let’s help each other out! 🙂

Thank for stopping by!

 

Sharing is caring!