“Tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from
right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them
down at the place where you stay tonight…to serve as a sign among you. In the
future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’…tell them,
‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had
crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea
when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the
earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
Joshua 4:3,
6, 21-24 (emphasis mine)
Our granddaughter Ella is in the ‘why’
stage. It’s adorable. Then it drives you crazy. But that’s how kids learn. We
need to be prepared to give answers to our children and grandchildren about who
God is and what He has done in our lives.
After the Israelites crossed the
Jordan, God gave them a way to take advantage of their kids’ ‘why’ stage.
He told them to set up some rocks to use as props. What better way to tell your kids about God’s deliverance than when they bring it up.
“Hey grandpa, why is there a pile of
rocks stacked here by the Jordan River?”
“Well Jedidiah, let me tell you what
God did right here in this spot…”
A few years ago the president of a
local college came and spoke at our church about this passage. He told how his family
took advantage of the boulders they came across on their property when building their
house. They decided to keep them and use them as teaching tools with their
children and grandchildren. He called them Stones of Remembrance.
We didn’t have any boulders in our yard,
instead we created a Stones of Remembrance bowl. It’s full of beautiful
polished rocks of all kinds and colors. Each one has a label describing a big
event in the life of our family—births, baptisms, salvation, marriages, clean
and sober dates, and other evidences of God’s grace. Our grandchildren love taking
them out and arranging them on the coffee table. Then they ask, “What does this one say, Grandma?”
And I can tell them, “Well Jolie (Kai,
Ella, Brooks, Ameylia, Harper) that was the day that God…”
The best way for our kids to
develop love and excitement for spiritual things is to experience it themselves
in the family setting. That’s why we’re instructed to, “Talk about them when
you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when
you get up” (Deut. 6:7). It doesn’t have to be an official “devotion” time, but
a natural conversation between our curious kids and we who have experienced God’s
favor.
I’m thrilled that our grandchildren
are starting to get excited about having devotions when we go on family
vacation. They love singing God-songs with motions. Our oldest is beginning to
read to us from her children’s
devotional, and take part in longer discussion times. She wants to be included and
hear the stories we tell about how God is working in our lives.
Have you thought about including your
kids in your prayer walks? This would be a perfect opportunity for them to learn
how to ‘pray without ceasing.’ It’s especially helpful that it involves movement
(which kids are known for) and short, focused prayers on one topic at a time. You
will be amazed at the things they think to pray for and how they will cause your
own faith to grow. We’re never too young to learn the power of prayer.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil
with good.
Romans 12:21
#stonesofremembrance #curiousityofchildren #praiseprompts
#prayerwalking #spiritualwarfare #claimingterritory #halloween #AllSaintsDay
#Joshua4 #Rom12:21
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