What They See

Before my daughters get up, I blog. I do that because, obviously, I can read and write better without two little girls asking me 20 questions a minute. I also do that because I don't want to spend time while they are awake with my back to them at the computer.

And while they are awake what do they see? They see me cook and clean up 3 meals a day, transfer laundry from the washer to the dryer, fold and put away clothes, vacuum, do other household chores, teach them during school time, check on their chore progress, iron clothes, run errands, talk on the phone, pay bills, bathe them, read to them, etc. All the typical mom stuff that eats up our days.

But they do not see me read my Bible. They do not see me pray.

Why? Because, just like the computer, I can concentrate better after they are in bed.

Now, thanks to homeschooling, they do hear me read from the Bible and we always pray together at meals. But that is not the same thing as seeing mom study the Bible and pray on my own each day. I do remember one time I was reading my Bible on the couch. Sweetheart wandered over and asked what I was reading. I told her and we got into the lengthiest discussion on the passage. Later I heard her explain the whole thing to her dolls while she was playing and she really understood it. I thought to myself how important it was for her to see me reading my Bible, even if it did not always result in a great spontaneous lesson. But I didn't do anything about it.

I've heard the same thing about bill paying. Many parents pay bills at work or after the kids go to bed, for obvious reasons. Some believe that is a contributing factor in why we have teenagers leaving high school with no concept of money or what things cost. Having your older children sit down and help pay bills (they can stuff the envelopes and stick on the return address and stamp, assuming you still pay bills the old fashioned way!) gives them a real idea of where mom and dad's money goes. How can they learn to budget if they've never even viewed the process of handling money at home?

I guess you can see where this is going...how can they understand what day-to-day faith looks like if they don't see it in action? Yes, I know there are hundreds of little ways we can talk about God throughout our day. And our children do see how we react to things that go on in life. But how powerful for them to have an example of a mother who daily reads her Bible and prays! Your children may very well have that...but are they seeing it? (mine arent!)

Now I know that the mother of preschoolers and babies dare not close her eyes for an extended length of time because she will a.) fall asleep or b.) hear the toilet flush and her children screaming and clapping and she will never, EVER, figure out what went down the crapper that day.

But if they can see us watch TV, sit at the computer, talk on the phone, and any other number of activities...can't they see us talking to God and reading his Word, too? I'm talking to myself here, too. What do you think? When do you read your Bible?