“ Train up a child in the way he should go . . .”
Proverbs 22:6
WE ARE IN A BATTLE
For many of us , our most important battlefield will be within our own family . As Christian parents and grandparents , we are instructed by Proverbs 22:6 to “ train up a child in the way he should go .” But how can we effectively communicate the gospel message to our children and grandchildren in today ’ s noisy environment , with its constant bombardment of unbiblical ideas and images from social media , TV , movies , video games , and the internet ?
One answer is through stories . Chuck Colson , the late founder of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview , expressed it this way : “ Stories shape our thoughts , move our emotions , and enlarge our imaginations . The images we plant in our minds have an enormous influence over the kind of people we become . They both express and shape our beliefs and values .
Think of the effective use Jesus made of images and stories . He could have simply said , ‘ Take care of people who are hurt and victimized .’ Instead , He spun the tale of the Good Samaritan . He could have just said , ‘ God forgives your sins , so forgive others .’ Instead , He told the parable of the unmerciful servant . Why ? Because a story gets at aspects of truth that are beyond the power of didactic teaching .”
The Bible should be our starting point , and biblical stories can be supplemented with good Christian storybooks . We also can use books that are not overtly Christian . For example , consider the popular book Goodnight Moon . Before reading it with the child , look up relevant Scripture using a concordance . A search on the word stars will lead to passages like Psalm 147:4 , which talks about how God calls each of the stars by name . A search on the word heavens will point to passages like Psalm 136:1-9 , which instructs us to “ give thanks to the Lord , who made the moon and the stars to rule over the night .” Referring to Scripture while reading good stories can teach the child about our amazing God .
FROG ’ S RAINY-DAY STORY AND OTHER FABLES
I wrote Frog ’ s Rainy-Day Story and Other Fables specifically to teach a biblical worldview . The book ’ s eight award-winning fables , which my wife , Sarah Buell Dowling , illustrated , contrast the erroneous narratives of our culture with the truth of God ’ s Word . It appeals to all ages . In fact , I call it “ an apologetics book for adults disguised as a children ’ s book .” Let ’ s briefly look at a slightly edited version of one of the fables to see how the book works .
RENEWANATION . ORG 23