Fostering a love for God

In "Children Are Born Believers in God, Academic Claims" The Daily Telegraph, Nov. 25, 2008, Dr. Justin Barrett notes;

I thought I would start this. I can share what I do, but when I read Mikki's post the other day about how her kids were building the temple and the Holy Place out of sticks...I was floored! It made me think about the things that I do, and what I could add. So I thought I'd start a thread where people could leave their own habits. Here are some of the things that we do:

1. Sing songs like Jesus Loves Me every night
2. Talk about the projects he brings home from church and Bible study
3. Pray before meals and bed
4. Read Bible stories occasionally

My daughter is only an infant and wouldn't understand the anything I am 'teaching' her about God and His creation. When should I start teaching her? It seems that if I wait until she is old enough to understand then precious years will have been wasted in developing that natural love for God. I do not have a strong religious background so I as a parent am unfamiliar with the right approach but I have no doubt that our children need to have a love for God and His creation in order to thrive as responsible adults.

So as we wrap up our baby's first year my husband and I were reflecting on how much he has taught up about life and God in one short year. I want to hear what everyone else has to say about this topic. Kids seem to have a magnifying glass for the important things in life. What have you learned from your kids? Lessons of love, forgiveness, perseverance...?Please share.

I'll go first.

One of the most important aspects for raising children of faith is by having a family Bible study. There are so many ways families can make this a part of their routines. I know some families that set aside one evening a week to do a lesson on the Bible and encourage a family discussion. Other families just read from the Bible and don't feel comfortable trying to interpret God's words.

This evening I heard Morgan and Aaron arguing back and forth from the kitchen, "I had Joseph first!" "No I had Joseph first!" I walked over to the table and announced my famous "STOP" and Aaron's head rested in his hand and Morgan sobbed quietly next to him. After about two minutes both kids were showing signs of calm so I asked Aaron first who is Joseph? He starts by saying, "he is in the house," and I cut him off and reminded him the question was "Who is Joseph, not where." and he replies with, "oh he is the high priest and his diciples are over here."