Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)
Scripture is pretty clear: children are supposed to receive instruction about God. Where do they learn about faith? The obvious answer is “Sunday School.” Teachers and leaders there have a heart for helping children and youth grow closer to God. They have curriculum designed to guide young people's learning. Many have been gifted by God to teach. It's the perfect answer, right?
Let's take time out for a little bit of math. Each week has 168 hours, right? Even if you are able to bring your child to church each and every week, Sunday School lasts one hour. That's .5% of the week, assuming perfect attendance. The most conservative of estimates tell us that many children watch television for something like two hours per day. Some say the average is much higher. That low figure of two hours per day works out to over 8% of their time. Not .8%, like the time spent in Sunday School, but 8%-more than ten times as much time. Keep a record this week and see where your children fall. Chances are very good that television time far outweighs time for formal Christian education.
How can that balance be shifted? The answer lies in our priorities. We tell kids that school is important, and they spend over 20% of their time in school, nine months of the year. We tell them that sports are important and they spend between 4% and 10% of their time there during the season. Our mouths say that learning about God is important, but if the only time they spend reading Scripture, praying and talking about God is at Sunday School, they spend that .5% of their time on it, IF no one gets sick on Sunday, family, social or team events don't happen to conflict, AND they have an adult willing to get up early on a day off and take them to church.
In Deuteronomy6:6-9, there's a solution. The scripture says, “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk down the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (NIV) In other words, be intentional about teaching about God and faith at home, every day.
It doesn't take much effort, either. Talk with your child about what they did and heard in Sunday School. Try out the home suggestions on the handouts or ask the teacher for ideas. Set aside a little time to pray together each day. Read the Bible or Bible stories together. Watch some Christian movies or listen to Christian music from time to time. Talk about personal events, news, TV shows or video games in light of Christian beliefs. These simple ideas can help you lift the percentage of “God time” from a fraction of a percent to a level above television time. Try it this week! Show your family that God ranks above TV by changing your focus just a smidge. Everyone will benefit!
