The RenewaNation Review 2020 The Collingsworth Family Special Edition | Page 42

• Marriage is for God’s glory. God created marriage with
a purpose.
• Marriage is good. We can enthusiastically champion
marriage.
• Marriage is the expected norm. It is not good for man to
be alone unless gifted for singleness.
• Marriage is a covenant. It is a make-it and never-break-
it promise.
We’ve become timid about addressing hard topics with
children. The pattern of Scripture is for parents and spiritual
leaders to talk with children, sometimes very young chil-
dren, about the meaning of marriage, the purpose of sex,
sexual purity, and the biblical roles of husband and wife, as
well as adultery, homosexuality, and divorce.
You don’t need to wonder what you should talk with
your children about. Just follow God’s lead. Cover the
topics He covers with children. You have the critical job of
articulating and embodying a biblical vision of marriage
to your children.
3. BEGIN TRAINING EARLY
Our sex-saturated culture has 24/7 access to our children
through technology as well as a public school system that
teaches unbiblical views about marriage and gender. This
necessitates early and regular conversations with our chil-
dren on subjects that previous generations could postpone.
Major exposure to sexual content and erroneous
views of marriage occurs for many chil-
dren in the early grade school years.
While the Bible does not dictate a
specific age to begin talking about
these topics, it does provide a
pattern: early and often. Paul says to
Timothy, “From childhood you have
been acquainted with the sacred
writings, which are able to make
you wise for salvation through faith
in Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 3:15).
Don’t wait to address marriage in the
teen or early adult years. The teen years
are the time to put the finishing touches
on a conversation that started when your
children were young.
WHAT CAN PARENTS USE TO TALK ABOUT THIS
SUBJECT WITH THEIR CHILDREN? HERE ARE
FIVE SUGGESTIONS:
• Shared experiences. My wife and I purposefully take our
children to weddings, creating an opportunity to talk
about God’s design for marriage.
• Television shows. What do your kids see on TV or
movies that require discussion or can be used inten-
42
tionally? Disney movies provide plenty of opportunities
to talk about marriage.
• Books. We had great discussions with our children
when we read the Little House on the Prairie series, and
Laura married Almanzo.
• Toys. Barbies and dolls are great discussion starters
for girls.
• Scripture. As you read through the Bible with children,
discuss the passages that address marriage, dating,
and purity.
Opportunities to talk about marriage, dating, and purity
occur often. Your job is to recognize them and capitalize on
them. Preparation for marriage can begin today as you teach
your child biblical principles about marriage, pray for your
child’s future spouse, and help your child protect his or her
heart from sexual immorality. ■
ENDNOTES
1. “New Report Finds Young People Troubled by Romantic Relationships and Widespread
Sexual Harassment,” Making Caring Common, May 17, 2017, accessed May 26, 2017,
https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/files/gse-mcc/files/mcc_the_talk_pr_final_0.pdf.
Your children will make few decisions more
important than their decision to marry.
But they must make other choices before then:
decisions about purity, dating, and their roles
as men and women. Are they prepared?
In this highly practical guide, Dr. Josh Mulvihill
lays out a biblically grounded plan for prepar-
ing young children for later challenges. Parents,
grandparents, and others in the church will
learn how to bring the truth home by starting
the conversation with their children early and
returning to it often.
THIS RESOURCE IS AVAILABLE AT
RENEWANATION.ORG/STORE