Thoughts from Brent:
I work with college men everyday. Over the years I've been in groups with literally hundreds of young men ages 18-24. While I haven't done any official surveys, I do ask most of them in the context of curiosity, "How many of you had a mom or dad that you saw praying or reading their Bible?" I usually ask this question with even more emphasis on their dads.
The stats usually come back as 1 in 10 parents ever visibly showed any type of devotional life that their kids could remember. Keep in mind, many of these, even most of these, come from 'Christian' homes. I would say it's probably less than 10%, maybe even less than 5%. When I've asked these students how many of them had dad's who prayed out loud and how many fathers talked to them about sex, that percentage drops even further.
When I ask them to picture in their mind what their dad's Bible looked like growing up, almost all answer, "I don't know."
There are so many nights that I don't want to pray with my boys or read them Bible stories. There are also many days we are so exhausted that we have a quick bedtime, breakfast time, etc. Becky and I know how difficult early mornings and later evenings can be. Even yesterday I was thinking, "you know Becky (and most moms/parents) work a minimum of 14-16 hour days." At the end of 16 hours, reading Bible stories can seem like reading War and Peace.
But let me encourage you and tell of another trend I see.
Not every case, but in many, the most grounded, mature, loving, moral, Godly, Spirit-filled men I see in our ministry ARE the ones that had a dad and mom investing in them in prayer and Scripture. The young men who are actively keeping their virginity, rebelling against pornography, sharing their faith, and leading exemplary lives are the ones who had spiritual influence at early ages. Many times I can directly link them to a Dad (and mom) investing in them from a very young age.
I work with college men everyday. Over the years I've been in groups with literally hundreds of young men ages 18-24. While I haven't done any official surveys, I do ask most of them in the context of curiosity, "How many of you had a mom or dad that you saw praying or reading their Bible?" I usually ask this question with even more emphasis on their dads.
The stats usually come back as 1 in 10 parents ever visibly showed any type of devotional life that their kids could remember. Keep in mind, many of these, even most of these, come from 'Christian' homes. I would say it's probably less than 10%, maybe even less than 5%. When I've asked these students how many of them had dad's who prayed out loud and how many fathers talked to them about sex, that percentage drops even further.
When I ask them to picture in their mind what their dad's Bible looked like growing up, almost all answer, "I don't know."
There are so many nights that I don't want to pray with my boys or read them Bible stories. There are also many days we are so exhausted that we have a quick bedtime, breakfast time, etc. Becky and I know how difficult early mornings and later evenings can be. Even yesterday I was thinking, "you know Becky (and most moms/parents) work a minimum of 14-16 hour days." At the end of 16 hours, reading Bible stories can seem like reading War and Peace.
But let me encourage you and tell of another trend I see.
Not every case, but in many, the most grounded, mature, loving, moral, Godly, Spirit-filled men I see in our ministry ARE the ones that had a dad and mom investing in them in prayer and Scripture. The young men who are actively keeping their virginity, rebelling against pornography, sharing their faith, and leading exemplary lives are the ones who had spiritual influence at early ages. Many times I can directly link them to a Dad (and mom) investing in them from a very young age.
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 along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6,7
This verse is a huge challenge to me. It really means to seize the teachable moments of the day to pour into our children. As we sit, walk, lie down, and rise from bed - The slower moments of the day are these moments.
Parents, do your kids see you in the Word? Do they know what your Bible looks like? Do they hear you pray out loud? Do you teach them, by example, how to pray?
If you answer no to these questions, don't beat yourself up. Today, is the day.
Let us all commit to growing in this and pursuing the hearts of our children. Nothing is more important.
-Brent
Wow! What a great job Brent! A great reminder to all of us it is not just what our kids hear us saying all the time but what they see us doing. Love hearing from the other half of Becky.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Brent! That was very well said!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for speaking these words of truth. Amen and AMEN! I too desire to encourage parents to determine to raise Godly children, and agree that their own personal faith and devotion to God is where it starts.
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