I look into their faces and hear their melodious laughter and they make me swoon.
I want more than the world for them. I want the eternal world for them.
And I jolt back to my own experiences and reality. The hurts from other women. The pain from a divorce. The consequences of bad choices that are always forgiven but can still haunt me on the days I forget who I am in Him.
I realize at this moment when the innocent and authentic collide, that I can’t keep them in a bubble.
They’re going to be hurt by other women. They will make bad choices. I pray from the depths of my soul they don’t experience divorce – but they might.
Much will change as they grow older and unfortunately, it’s inevitable that the innocence will begin to chip away.
But what won’t change? His truths. He was and is and is to come. He’s the same. Always.
The comfort this brings me is overwhelming.
So while I believe ALL of scripture is sacred and God-breathed, there are some verses I want my kids to have memorized before they leave my nest.
Ten Bible Verses I Want My Children To Know
1. Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” – Hebrews 13:5
2. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. – Psalm 139:13-14
3. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. – Hebrews 11:1
4. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. – Joshua 1:9
5. I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. – Jeremiah 31:3
6. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. – Proverbs 15:1
7. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you,leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. – Matthew 5:23-24
8. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! – 2 Corinthians 5:17
9. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28
10. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23
Who wants to join me in encouraging our kids to memorize scripture? I’ll be doing it right along with them. I plan to take each of these and put them on our “Bible tile” in the kitchen. Those who memorize it by the end of the week get to have an extra dessert on the night of their choice. Now THAT motivates my crew…What verse(s) do you want your children to memorize?
Love this tile from Dayspring!
So now, for you super-cool Mommy on Fire readers, please enjoy:
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Oh sweet Natalie. Hello from a blast from your Oak Trace past! :) I have been given your blog info from Alyssa less than a month ago. I just smile at how much God not only does in our lives, but how far He brings us. I have so much I want to affirm in you. So much I want to thank you for. Sincerity. Being absolutely transparent as a woman. Respecting your husband. Wanting the best for your family. Realizing you still stumble and fall, but knowing when you may not have the strength to pick yourself back up, you quickly give glory to the One who sweeps you off your feet. So many things that I have admired about your from years past- educationally, your ideas were so freeing to break through the traditional we were all bored with. We still speak highly of you and laugh about stealing your agenda ideas on chart paper at CLASS trainings because “we couldn’t think like you”! haha Then, a year later, we celebrated as we pitched them as the lightbulb clicked. HOWEVER, there is no comparison with the respect and admiration I have now after not only reading your story, but now getting your email encouragements. Absolutely incredible. So much to “chat” about, but most will have to wait for a day when we can sit face to face and share stories about what God has done in our life and how He’s redeemed us and made the ashes of our lives into a thing of His beauty. For now, I will tell you how TODAY’S message of yours hit me. Your tile idea is a wonderful idea. You see, I became a Christian 15 years ago. However, it hasn’t been long for me to really grasp the importance of His word. Sometimes I still am so lacking, ya know? Anyway, our amazing girls are 18 and 16. I WISH I would’ve….well, don’t want to go down that never-ending pit of guilt. SO, I will encourage you to DO THIS tile idea and then point out how it impacts their lives all day when you can. Both girls are believers and both have a heart for Him and serving. They get it, so He’s filled in where we’ve so lacked. HE is faithful. I will tell you that today is the eve of taking our first born to college 3 1/2 hours away (USI). We leave tomorrow morning at 6am. Yeah….We are extremely close and our girls are with each other, so it’s very bitter sweet. More about all of that later too or I will have to grab that other case of Kleenex. You see, because in my mind, my oldest is 5 and the youngest is 3. So, this new norm is going to be one that I HAVE to seek God’s grace to get used to. I do know He will not simply help us get through it, He has AMAZING plans for them and us! Ones of HOPE. :) SO, wanted you to know that although you may think that many women are running out to buy these tiles for their families to teach their families scripture at home, there is one who is going to buy it for a college dorm for her daughter for tomorrow. :) “Turns out” that her roommate is a Christian and loves the Lord. They both love their families. They have shared scriptures that they love. This is something they will love to do together! PLUS, they love Pinterest, so this is right up their alley! :) Just wanted to blow up the box a little bit of “teaching your children scripture through the tile idea”. Isn’t God amazing? Thank you, my friend that is a blast from the past. Can’t wait to catch up across from a cup of coffee.
Cherie, I don’t even know where to begin to respond to you. Your words. Oh my. I cannot thakn you enough for taking the time to tell me all of this! The glory ALWAYS goes to Him be encouragement is so important to us all. Thank you for encouraging me today.
Don’t look back – only forward. Jesus covered your girls because HE KNEW all along you would go to the cross. His light carried your girls – please don’t beat yourself up over what you did or didn’t do. There is not, and never will be, any condemnation in Christ Jesus.
Thank you for this, sweet sister. I’ll take you up on that coffee date.
Totally just “pinned” this, cause I love it! Great inspiration this morning! Missing you!!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! I so need to build this little blog here up (the publishers say I need to build my “platform”!). Pinning and sharing on Facebook helps so much.
Thank you. SO SO SO missing you. Have you already moved? If not, can we go out before you do?
GREAT verses, Natalie!!
I love your motivation to memorize more verses:)))
Have a blessed Tuesday…
Thanks, Stefanie! I need to do it myself. :)
Those are all awesome verses – I especially love Jer 31:3. My middle daughter is amazing at memorizing – I’m pretty sure she knows more than I do now! Maybe I should get her to lead the way!
I know, right? My daughter is WAY better at scripture memory than I am. I like to say it’s because her brain hasn’t been addled yet…:)
Oh, yes…That everlasting love thing…It blows me away!
Thanks for reading and commenting, sweet sister!
Just wait until they have four kids. Then lets see how superior they are! :P
Nat,
Riverside gives the kids weekly verses to memorize. There are a lot of good ones in their little books that I have added to our family list. I have taught my kids a lot of scripture as discipline. When I was a single mom I had to REALLY rely on God to be my husband and the father to my kids. I used HIS word to correct. Now that they are older they have had to write out many verses to help correct behavior. THEY KNOW Ephesians 4:29!!!!!
Oh, Katie, my kids know that verse well, too. HA!
Yes, I love that Riverside does this. The oldest is obsessed with that little passport…
Love that God was your husband and father to your children. What a visual. You are so wise, Katie. I love your heart.
Thank you so much for this today! This past March/April, I started a new thing where I recited a Bible verse to my children as they left my arms and headed toward school each day. It was a great way for me to remind them about God before they headed to public school, and by the end of the week, they would be able to recite it back to me. This list is perfectly timed as my kiddos all start school tomorrow, and it gives me verses to work on for the next 10 weeks (which means I’ll be looking here again to see if you’ve posted some more…lol).
And BTW, number 3 (Hebrews 11:1) has always been my favorite and it hangs above my bed in a beautiful frame. I use it for all things in my life — including my acting — which keeps me grounded in Him. Mine is a slightly different translation, but still intones the same meaning: “Faith is being sure of what you hope for, and certain of what you do not see.” Thanks again! :)
That is SUCH a great idea, Casey! I’m just going to do that tomorrow for the first day!!!
And yes, I’ll be posting more! :)
I’m missing you, sister!
As we all know, there are so many biblical verses we wish our children would memorize and the ten you have highlighted are amongst the best. Thank you for your post. As parents it is our sacred duty to do as we are encouraged in Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” None of our children will be perfect, but the more scripture they have memorized will give them a better chance to lead a christian life and live a christian example for others to follow. May God bless you for your post. Thanks!
Great idea! What are the 10 I want my kids to know? Heads up: I may steal this idea from you!
Steal away! (Hey, that was my favorite song as a young girl in the ’80’s..) Glad you liked it, Amy!
Excellent!! I really needed this!!
Hey Natalie! I just did a google search on bible verses for kids to memorize and your blog came up! So fun! I hope all is well! Happy memorizing with your kids!
Hi Natalie,
Excellent idea! I have two boys aged 9 and 10, they are high energy, so I have found it difficult to memorise verses with them sitting still. In our household I put four verse on paper and I cut them out and have them at the dinner table for discussion. They read the verse and we discuss in depth what it means and how it relates to their world. Then I have one other verse that I copy twice which I use after dinner when we do our art activity. For example this week we are focusing on the word “Harmony” I have found a verse to copy about living in peace with one another. We made a drum and stuck the verse on the drum….We call it the peace drum. When i see them using the drum, I will asks them to read the verse to me. It seems to work for us. Craft keeps them focused and afterwards they can run around playing the drum, which eliminates keeping still…..I love your sight…
Good ideas, Maree! Thanks for sharing them with us!
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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7a (NLT)
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
Great additions! Thanks, Tiffany!
Found this today, I love it! Thank you.
Thank you dear Natalie. May God protect all of us.