Mammas, if you have been nurturing your kids in the Lord, you are probably a professional at the Bible’s Top Ten Heroes by now. You and your kids are on a first-name basis with the likes of David, Moses, Noah, and Adam. You have got their stories down. And that is good.
But consider what may happen a few years from now: you want your children to love all of God’s Word, and so you decide to dive into the “less narrative and story-filled” books. Maybe you begin reading in Chronicles and I and II Kings, or even the prophetical books with your kids. Perhaps they (and you) start to lose patience. Or maybe your church is going through some of these books, and your child is sitting in the service with you, struggling to engage. They are having a hard time wanting to follow along as these dry lists of places, people, and events seem to ramble on and on. They might even ask, “Mom, why can’t we just skip over these books?” You might be tempted to go back to your favorite Bible heroes.
Holes in our foundation
Have you ever sat down and tried to map out how the whole Bible fits together? I was recently challenged to do this by Nancy Guthrie, through her books and in-person teaching. Even as a longtime believer, I found some serious holes in my knowledge. The timing of the different judges and kings got pretty blurry as I tried to write out a timeline of the biblical events and history. I encourage you to give it a try, but no cheating: Bibles and search engines closed!
God has brilliantly tied seemingly unconnected books together by these red threads, if only we would see them.
Allowing your children to try this activity might provide them with humbling insight into how they too have so much more to learn from God’s Word! When given this challenge, my own kids just tried to write out all the names of the books of the Bible, but that wasn’t really the point. What are the larger themes that wind their way through Scripture? What bigger story is being told within and through these sixty-six different books?
Many of us know that the New Testament is built on the foundation of the Old Testament, but sometimes, to be honest, we just want to scan through the “boring” sections and get to the exciting, practical stuff. If we as moms want to zip past, how can we ever expect our kids to find joy and passion in the whole of God’s word?
Red threads
Even Better than Eden by Nancy Guthrie (recently translated into Swedish as Ännu bättre än Eden) shows how God masterfully ordained the whole of his Word as one interwoven masterpiece. The failures of the kings and the rules of the judges, the timelines of tribes and nations, the details of building the temple—all of those details weave together, pointing to Christ and making the Bible truly come alive!
Nancy Guthrie has said that her favorite tool in Bible study is—wait for it—a pen!—and within this book, she has faithfully wielded that tool, underlining and connecting the dots to make clear summaries of God’s plan from creation through sin and redemption and unto glory. She traces nine themes, or “red threads,” that run from Genesis to Revelation, revealing how God’s plan for the new creation will be far more glorious than the original. Her goal is not just to spoon feed readers these truths, but to challenge us as women and, in overflow, our families, regarding how to use our own pens and minds to understand his Word better. To this end we have given each of our children a folder where, together as a family, we will be drawing up overviews of each book of the Bible, recording its story and themes and connecting it to the Old Testament. In this way, we hope to help our kids see that understanding and knowledge actually increase our love and affection for God, as we see the depths of his wisdom in the Bible.
Can you imagine being able to take a theme such as redemption, God’s covenant, the tree of life, God clothing his people, or the coming heavenly kingdom, and learning how to trace its path all the way through Scripture? God has brilliantly tied seemingly unconnected books together by these red threads, if only we would see them. What an exciting opportunity to open our eyes—and our children’s eyes—to the riches of Scripture!
Worth the effort
In the modern age of individualism, we can be tempted to randomly open our Bibles, jumping around and finding meaning where it “feels right.” Let’s challenge ourselves as mothers and nurturers to instead view Scripture systematically, considering the whole context of God’s Word. Rather than seeking to create our own meaning from random verses pieced together, let us dig in and discover the meaning and intention written into the masterpiece that is the Bible. Have you ever loved a particular Bible verse, only to later read it in its full context, recognizing the power and potency given by the surrounding verses?
Let us journey with our growing children into theological depth and its accompanying goodness.
As mothers we often feel overloaded, and I know the prospect of digging deeper theologically can feel impossible. But let me encourage you to take time to really know God’s Word—identifying the holes in your understanding, tracing themes of redemption lovingly placed by God, and seeking context to our study. Let us make use of the many tools we have available to us—our minds, books such as Even Better Than Eden, and of course, our pens! Small kids will often ask small questions, but let us be equipped for the days ahead. Let us journey with our growing children into theological depth and its accompanying goodness, praying that as we are shaped and grown through theological study, they too might take ownership and plumb the depths of God’s Word, tracing its themes and beholding God’s glory through his Word.
