7 reasons to read Bible stories with your child
Okay, first, take a deep breath. Seriously. Have you even done that today? I get it. Life is crazy busy. It is nonstop. And if there are kids involved, well then I’m guessing it’s nonstop with a side of chaos.
And we know this, don’t we? We know that we must bathe them and feed them and clothe them and do all the things to keep them alive. But we also know that those things only keep them alive—they don’t give them life.
We want our kids to thrive and grow to be beautifully kind, spiritually mature, healthy, successful humans. But in order to do that, we have to not only keep them alive, but also to find time for the foundational practices that give them life.
One of those practices, I wholeheartedly believe, is reading Bible stories with them, sharing with them the story of God’s people, the story of our family, the story of us. And here are seven big reasons why we should try to find the time—somehow, someway—to share these stories with the little ones (and big ones) who mean so much to us.
7 reasons to share Bible stories
1. It teaches the most important truths.
We teach our kids so many things: the alphabet, bicycle safety, and the importance of a well-balanced diet. But those things are only good for a lifetime—they won’t make much of a difference in eternity. (Wait, are there bicycles in heaven?)
We can make sure they’re just as equipped with “faith, hope, and love” (1 Corinthians 13:13)—the three things that last forever—by regularly sharing God’s truths with them.
2. It gives them identity.
Searching for who you are and who you want to be when you grow up has always been a part of human existence. Even the story of Adam and Eve reveals a longing to be something other than who they were created to be.
But the stories in the Bible show us—again and again and again—that we are imperfect humans, and even still, we are sacrificially loved by the Creator of the universe.
Just knowing that alone, internalizing that deep in your bones, is enough to transform a life and give each child an identity to be proud of.
3. It establishes routine.
Can I get an amen?! Even when the rest of the day is off the rails, finding that one sliver of routine at night can help everyone rest easier with a win.
Go right now (or as soon as humanly possible) and grab a Bible or a Bible storybook or a devotional (or three) and place them in key locations where they can be used. Are you ever waiting with little ones in the car? Stick a book in the car.
I’ve kept a devotional in the fruit bowl on the table so that we’d remember to read it at dinner each night. And put a Bible storybook of some kind by the bed (especially because of number 7).
This tiny, daily practice will add up to a lifelong routine of instilling God’s Word in the hearts of your children. And no routine can be more impactful than that.
4. It starts conversations.
When Mike & I wrote The Bible for Me: Bible Stories and Prayers, we most certainly didn’t set out to answer all the questions of the Bible. We’re fully aware that it could take all of eternity.
But we did hope to start some conversations—conversations about who God is, who we are, and how much he loves us. By starting those conversations with your child, you can instill that lifelong practice of asking and seeking and knowing, not only with you, their parents, but also with the only One with all the answers to the questions we could ever imagine.
5. It builds relationships.
Bible stories reveal so much about God’s character and his relationship with his people. So much different from religion, a relationship with God will demonstrate how the Bible isn’t about rules (although they’re important), it’s about a real-life interaction with the God who loves them.
When we get that right, when we seek him first, everything else is given its proper perspective. Second to that, when you spend one-on-one, heart-to-heart time with your child, you are building the bonds of a relationship not easily broken.
6. It lays a foundation of faith.
Education, relationships, wealth, faith . . . What would you say is the most important foundation to lay? And yet, what do we spend the most time building?
I’ll let you answer those for yourself, but I know my answers aren’t ideal. Investing in these small, faithful moments, brick by brick, will eventually help your child to build a lasting foundation of faith.
And with that foundation firmly in place, when they’re out on their own, they’ll have that strong foundation for their own homes to stand on.
7. It reassures us all.
Here’s what the world needs to know: There is an omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent God who loves us and who has redeemed us and who will never leave us.
Don’t you want to begin and end your day with that thought? Don’t you want to bury those words deep in your soul and let them burst out for the whole world to hear and know?
Don’t you want your little ones to know that whatever they face, whatever this world hits them with, they can cry out to the one who created the universe and he will come to their rescue? Better than that, he already has.
That’s the message of the Bible, that’s the impact of God’s Word, and that’s the lasting imprint of the small, daily practice of reading simple Bible stories with your child.
What could be more important or more powerful than that?
Consider a few extra resources:
