What do your children actually know about your story?
Not just the family-friendly version.
Not just the lectures about gratitude, respect, or how much harder things were when you were growing up.
Do they know how God rescued you?
Do they know the mistakes you made, the consequences you faced, and the ways God’s grace met you in the middle of your failures?
Many Christian parents spend years warning their children about what not to do, yet never share the testimony that explains why.
Interestingly, Scripture does the exact opposite. The Bible doesn’t hide the failures of Abraham, Moses, David, Peter, or countless others. It tells the whole story—the victories, the sins, the consequences, and ultimately the grace of God.
So should we do the same with our children?
And if so, how much should we share?
Today’s readings offer some surprising insights about the power of testimony, the importance of telling the next generation what God has done, and two dangers every parent should avoid when sharing their story.
Welcome to “God’s Word Day by Day,” where I blog through the Bible in a Year. I hope you’ll join me every day. If you’re not already signed up, you can do it here or subscribe and watch on YouTube.
Today’s Readings:
1 Chronicles 13 & 14
Psalm 78.1-11
Proverbs 19.20-21
Acts 7.22-43
Do Your Kids Know Your Testimony? & Why They Should
1 Chronicles 13 & 14:
The Horrible Consequences of Sin
As I said in the introduction, God shows us the men and women He used in the Bible with all their warts and failings. For example:
Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters (1 Chron. 14.3).
Remember, kings had been specifically commanded not to take multiple wives (Deut. 17.17). Even though God allowed him to do so, it doesn’t mean He condoned it. And the history of David’s life and that of his family reveal the horrible consequences, including infighting, jealousy, incest, rebellion, and murder. So, we shouldn’t be tempted to think the men and women in the Bible somehow got a pass on sin.
As a pastor friend of ours used to say, “You can choose to sin, but you don’t get to choose the consequences.”
Someone else said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay (author unknown).”
So, how can you follow the Bible’s example and share your testimony in a God-honoring way, especially with your children? Interestingly, today’s reading in Psalms touches on the same subject. So, let’s talk about it in light of that passage.
Psalm 78.1-11:
Telling the Next Generation
The title of this psalm is “A Contemplation of Asaph.” A contemplation is “something to think about.”
Verses 4-5 say this about God’s works in the past:
4 We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.5 For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;
And verses 6-7 provide some of the reasons:
6 That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments.
The psalmist has been lamenting the fact that the earlier generation didn’t remember the wonderful works of God and declaring that his generation would. They were to meditate on all that God had done during the Exodus and beyond. Those things were meant to point them forward to the greater deliverance of God’s people from sin.
We are to look back and meditate on all that Christ has done through the gospel. Ultimately, that is the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and what it accomplished. But I believe we can personalize these truths, as well. Perhaps even writing our own psalm about what God has done in our lives through the gospel, being careful to point to God’s grace.
Reasonably Transparent
We should tell our stories to our children, being “reasonably” transparent about our own mistakes. I say “reasonably” transparent because they don’t need all the gory details. We need to be sure that what we share is age-appropriate.
We also need to be careful not to slander others, including a prior spouse or our child’s other parent. It’s important to keep the focus on our own sin and sinful responses and not blame or condemn others.
We should explain how God allowed us to suffer the consequences of our foolish and sinful behavior and help them see how that can happen in all of our lives, including theirs.
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life (Gal. 6.7-8).
But we should also help them see how He did so out of His love for us and how He used those consequences for our good. I know in my own life, He used them to bring me to the end of myself so I could see my need for Him. Perhaps you can see ways God used your past for your good, as well.
Transparent about Ongoing Sin
We should also be transparent about the ongoing struggles we have with sin. Again, we must be careful to do it in appropriate ways. If we respond to them with sinful anger, for example, we should repent and seek their forgiveness.
Parenting is discipleship. If we want them to learn humility and how to become good repenters, we should set an example. We can easily become a stumbling block to them if we hypocritically hold them to one standard yet are never willing to admit our own failings.
One More Word of Caution
But there is something else we need to be cautious about.
We may need to look a little deeper at our own attitudes about our sinful pasts. Kevin Johnson, who co-wrote The Peacemaker: Student Edition, says:
I frequently hear parents say they don’t want their teenagers to abuse alcohol. But I have heard some of those same parents laugh as they recount stories of partying their way through high school or college. They have never thoroughly changed their minds about their wrongdoing, and their halfhearted remorse puts them on the road to further grief. Their sons and daughters can’t help but absorb that attitude.
Amen or “Oh, me!” as my husband sometimes says.
We must ask ourselves:
What message do my conversations about drinking, drugs, ungodly relationships, etc., even with other adults, demonstrate to my kids? Do they demonstrate genuine repentance before God, or could they appear to glamorize or make light of my youthful exploits?
Do I overtly or subtly blame others for my sins? Am I prone to use discussions about past or current problems as an excuse to gossip about or slander others?
Do I try to make my former spouse, my child’s other parent, or someone else look bad?
God wants to use our testimonies in powerful ways to help point others to Christ and bring glory to His name (1 Pet. 3.15). But we can end up looking mean-spirited or hypocritical if we don’t have the right heart attitude. So, let’s examine ourselves, be willing to go to God, see our pasts in light of His Word, and see ourselves for what we are, sinners saved by God’s grace.
Proverbs 19.20-21:
“Those That Would Be Wise …”
Verse 20 says:
Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.
Matthew Henry comments on verse 20:
“Those that would be wise in their latter end must hear counsel and receive instruction, in their beginnings, must be willing to be taught and ruled, willing to be advised and reproved, when they are young. Those that would be stored in winter must gather in summer.”
What a great quote!
Acts 7.22-43:
The Danger of “Playing Around” with Sin
In this passage, Stephen recounted the sad history of Israel. I say sad because even though it included all of God’s mighty acts, the people as a whole still went their own way.
And as a result, “God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets …” (vs. 42).
God is patient and merciful, but He does reach a point where, when we have repeatedly rejected God’s truth, He will give us up to our own sinful desires (Rom. 1.18-32). The result is a downward spiral of sin and idolatry that is progressively harder to escape. We should not think we can knowingly “play around” with sin as if there will be no consequences.
“Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming …”
As we come into the summer months, it’s often more challenging to maintain a regular Bible-reading habit. But staying the course in this area has great rewards. Get creative, if necessary, read on your phone while you watch your kids. Or listen to an audio version. But as that great philosopher, Dory said, “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim, swim.”
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about the importance of godly friends, how history is “His-story,” Christians and alcohol, the foolishness of arguing, and how to find true peace and contentment.
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out the latest videos on our YouTube channel.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
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