Good morning, Five Minute Families. This morning, we are going to look back as directed by God. Many times in Scripture God tells us to remember. Remember His goodness in creation. Remember His goodness in your family. Remember His promises for mankind. And the list can go on and on. Let us expand further into this concept of remembrance.
Jim brought up the concept of remembering at dinner the other evening. Sometimes, it can be difficult to recall some of the good things God can and is doing. And, well, our kids hate to give a wrong answer. They did not jump on the questions as easily as he expected. We have had formal family discussion times before, but being somewhat unsure of Jim’s main point, their short answers probably should have been anticipated.
Deuteronomy 6 is a recounting of Moses’s teaching the Israelites, and we see in verses 6 and 7, “These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
The key point is that we are not supposed to simply take God’s words and directions and keep them to ourselves. Take them to heart and repeat them. And, not just once, but throughout the day. This passage is not directing us to put together a PowerPoint presentation about God and lecture them into the hearts of our children.
What I began thinking about in our dinner conversation is what things do we do as a family that reflects God’s goodness and is shown by the goodness of our family within the family and towards others. I will say that sarcasm and humor are on that list. I did not give my children a formal class on how to add humor to daily situations, but I can see that the kids sure did pick up what I was communicating.
We are proud to see, though, that kindness and respect is on that family list of traits that reflect God’s goodness. One of our son’s is very shy and would rather not interact with many outside our immediate family, but he does show kindness and respect towards others despite his discomfort. Our commitment to love God and love people, although not formally taught, has been grasped. Remembering what is taught about loving God and others is heartwarming for any parent and brings God glory and honor.
So, how does a five-minute family take the concept of remembering into their homes?
1. Informal training like we talked about is a good step and follows good biblical advice. As a parent, though, I need to realize and be aware of opportunities to pass along what to remember and that has to be intentionally planned. Now, that almost sounds formal, but you can take a topic - say God’s creation - and plan to slip it into your conversations. Next day, think about another topic.
2. Family remembrance time. Finding time when everyone is together can be difficult in this modern world but make a plan and stick to it. Share some times when God has been gracious to you and your family. Look back at old family albums and share the legacy of family. Talk about the struggles you have had and how God is merciful and faithful to His promises.
3. Sharing your testimony. Of course this has to be age appropriate, but don’t lie or cover up when questions are asked. This can be difficult. Prepare and pray before having this conversation with your family. The emphasis should be on the goodness of God, your faith and belief and how He has transformed your heart and life.
4. Scripture memorization. There is nothing better than remembering the Word of God. “For God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16. That right there is a great start!
5. Create some resolutions together and discuss them at planned times. What is important to you and your family? It would not hurt to even write these down. A resolution can look like this: We resolve in our family to love others as we love ourselves. In loving others, we will be kind regardless of race, age, looks or demeanor. We will recognize that we are all created in the image of God and have all fallen short of His glory.
Those are five ideas you can share with your family and begin the journey of remembering your family story and how God’s fingerprints are visible when you chose to look for them. The word remembering is used over 150 times in the Bible. It is a great word to incorporate into your family tapestry. We pray that God would give you wisdom and remembrance as you lead your families. Be blessed.
