Deuteronomy 6:4-7 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our GOD is one LORD: And thou shall love the LORD thy GOD with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. [ King James translation]
Scripture Discussed
Many people believe that the secular education of their children is the responsibility of the nation's school system. If they are Christians, many also believe that the religious education of their children can be assigned to their church or a church Sunday school. However, the book of Deuteronomy makes it clear that the education of children must also occur in the home. Children must be taught at home.
Deuteronomy 6:4 is called the Shema, a word which translated means "Hear," the word that begins the verse. It is as if the speaker is emphatically telling its audience to "LISTEN UP!" because what is about to follow is really important. And what follows is what some consider the "heart" of Judaism-- the basic principles of the Jewish religious faith.
First GOD is ONE. Harkening back to this same principle, Ephesians 4:5 states: "One LORD, one faith, one baptism, One GOD and FATHER of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Deuteronomy then commands that we should love GOD with all our heart, all our soul and all our might. Second, the scripture state that we shall teach the children diligently. Diligence is characterized by steady, earnest, painstaking, energetic effort. The teaching shall occur through conversation. Teaching shall occur by observation, as when children observe a parent interact with others and teaching shall occur through the parent's worship of GOD---in other words by the children observing a parent's prayer life. Before a parent lies down, a child should be able to observe parents in prayer. When a parent rises in the morning, a child should be able to observe a parent in prayer. By observing parents, a child should learn that GOD is the beginning and the end—of each day, all plans, each meal and every decision. A parent's dependence on GOD and demonstration of love must be not only verbally but visually taught. This kind of education does not occur in the classroom or just on Sunday but has to occur every day.
The goal is that by teaching a child what GOD means in the parent's life, the child will follow suit. This kind of teaching is rudimentary to the survival of the faith! "The apple cannot fall far from the tree unless the tree itself grows and blooms." A child's Christian education begins at home.
Teach Children About Eating
Teaching children healthy eating habits and modeling those behaviors in ourselves is also important to the growth and development of healthy children today. According to WebMd, some of the ways to teach healthy eating habits for children are to:
Guide your family's choices rather than just verbally dictate what is "bad food:" Make a wide variety of healthful foods available in the house. This practice will help your children learn how to make Healthy food choices. Leave the unhealthy choices like soda and juice at the grocery store. Serve water with meals.
Eat meals together as a family as often as possible. Try to make mealtimes pleasant
with conversation and sharing. Mealtime is not a time for scolding or arguing. If mealtimes are unpleasant, children may try to eat faster to leave the table as soon as possible. They then may learn to associate eating with stress.
Involve your children in food shopping and preparing meals. These activities will give you hints about your children's food preferences, offer opportunities to teach your children about nutrition, and provide your kids with a feeling of accomplishment. In addition, children may be more willing to eat or try foods that they help select and prepare.
Discourage eating meals or snacks while watching TV. Try to eat only in designed areas of your home, such as the dining room or kitchen. Eating in front of the TV may make it difficult to pay attention to feelings of fullness, and may lead to mindless or inattentive overeating.
Make sure your children's meals outside the home are also balanced. Find out more about their school lunch program, their church meals or pack their lunch to include a variety of foods. Also, select healthier items when dining at restaurants.
Pay attention to portion size and ingredients. Read food labels and limit foods with trans-fat, or chemicals. Also make sure you serve the appropriate portion as indicated on the label.
See, "Healthy Eating Habits for Your Child," www.children.web.med.com/guide/kids-healthy-eating habits.
Even if you have no children or are "empty nesters" it is still important to "model" good healthy behavior. Most of us are "around children" ---at church, on public transportation, at other's homes and when we invite friends with children or their children to our homes. We are all responsible for our children's eating habits.
Be A Teacher
There is an old African American proverb that says "Each one, teach one." The phrase originated in the United States during slavery, when many Africans and African Americans were denied education, including learning how to read or write. Slaves were kept in ignorance in order to prevent them from learning anything beyond their immediate circumstances so that they could be completely controlled by their slave masters. When a slave was able to surreptitiously learn to read or write, it became their duty to teach someone else; thus spawning the phrase, "Each one teach one." See, www.wikipedia.org, "Each One Teach One."
The same is true with our spiritual and physical education. We all have a responsibility to learn so we in turn teach one through our words, our actions and our lifestyle.
The words of Deuteronomy are not only a Jewish "call to duty" or "shema" but a sacred call to duty for us all. Each of us must strive to diligently and sometimes painstakingly teach ourselves so we can in turn teach the children, in word and deed.
The LORD our GOD is still ONE and still ALL MIGHTY! And, HE still answers prayer! So, let's act like it! Let's stop "struggling" with food and faith "issues." Instead, let's act like HE is in us, with us and guiding us—day in and day out.
Let us all make it our goal and prayer to: "Teach one, Reach one and to Be a Blessing!"
