Show and Tell Parenting

One of my goals for 2015 is to read the entire Bible in a year. I’m doing pretty well so far but I haven’t hit the “Bible in a year plan killer,” yet. You know what I’m talking about, the book of Leviticus.

Many a resolution has been sunk on Leviticus’ rocky shores.

During the process of reading each day, I was reminded of a conversation I had with my kids. One evening I casually mentioned I had been studying the Bible. Both my kids burst into laughter. That was not the reaction I was expecting. I asked them why they were laughing and they said:

“You don’t study the Bible! Mom studies the Bible.”

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What they meant was that for the last 7 years, my wife Jenny had been attending and leading a Community Bible Study group. My kids saw that over the years and associated Bible Study with their mother. Me on the other hand? I had missed one of the principles of Orange. I didn’t “Make it Personal.”

When you make it personal, you allow your kids to see how you strive to grow so they can understand how to confront their own limitations and pursue character and faith.

I prefer to do my Bible study in the early morning before the kids are awake, so I certainly wasn’t showing them that it mattered to me. I also wasn’t telling them about it at other times of the day either. I wasn’t practicing, “Show and Tell Parenting.”

I might always prefer the early morning hours for private study, but I could also read the Bible after school when they are home. We can talk about a million things at dinner, but one of the topics could easily be what I learned that day during my quiet time.

By showing my kids my Bible Study and telling them about it, I’ve made it personal. I’ve deliberately invited them into that part of my life, which opens up an amazing amount of conversation.

If you want to make it personal, try that approach.

It doesn’t have to be complicated.

It doesn’t have to be difficult.

It doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Just show them and tell them.

Jon Acuff is the New York Times Bestselling author of 5 books, including his newest one, Do Over. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Jenny, and two daughters, L.E. and McRae. Read more of his work at Acuff.me, StuffChristiansLike.net, or follow him on Twitter, @JonAcuff.