Family Worship

So far I haven’t had to think much about instilling biblical values in my son. I mean, I sing hymns to him at night, and when I tuck him in I whisper, “mama loves you, dada loves you, and Jesus loves you most of all.” That’s our little ritual. Were I to try to tell him exactly who this Jesus is, his 13 month old brain would turn to mush and he would reply with raised eyebrows something that resembles Korean.

The problem is, the time will come that he will understand, and if I’m not in the practice of talking about my faith it may be a little harder to begin. I think my biggest concern is to not come off too preachy or forceful in the area of religion. I want to give him truth, but I also want to equip him with the tools to discern truth for himself. And for that matter, it seems every time I turn around I realize how much truth I have yet to grasp. I pray that Chris and I will model Christ-like behavior foremost; that we will be generous, kind, loving to people –quick to forgive, even quicker to repent. I really hope that I can be open about my struggles and mistakes, that I can apologize and not always have to be right (something I didn’t get too see often from my parents … and I think most people who know me would say I also don’t do very well either). 

 As far as I am concerned, these are the real biblical values. I believe it is Brian McLaren who refers to the Bible as a beautiful story book, a story of the conversation between humanity and its Maker, rather than as some “scientific fact book.” I would like my son to read the Bible this way, to treasure the story rather than paper pages.