Know Where You Are

During the time I changed Scripture CDs between my sons’ rooms, it was easy to loosely recognize where they were in Scripture. I usually had one son in the Old Testament and another son in the New Testament, as that worked for rotation. When our third son arrived, my oldest son took over changing CDs in order to help me. I didn’t know where they were.

Here’s why it’s good to recognize where your children are in Scripture.

Be Ready

They throw questions at you!

Nothing like a child to train you to stay ready in season and out of season! (2 Timothy 4:2)

Children may seem rather random with their conversation, and sometimes, they are. However, other times, they are flowing in the Spirit. There’s a reason Jesus said we need to become as little children to enter the Kingdom – and that the Kingdom belongs to such as these (Matthew 18:3, 19:14).

The Principle and the Pace

The principle for parents is to incorporate the Lord’s ways through Scripture (and by Spirit) throughout the day – morning and evening, sitting and walking, the hand that represents work, the head that represents thought and direction, the doorposts of the house and gates which represent the access of the spiritual and physical house. The house represents where we live — where we dwell in our inner being — and that affects our physical house.

In order to do this, we, parents, need to walk with the pace of grace. That is very counter-cultural, but significantly and eternally valuable. And when we fall down, let us receive His grace and move on.

Part of the Shema prayer speaks to this – both the principle and the pace:

“Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. You shall also write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (NASB, Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

Heavenly Father designed parents to partner with Him to help frame and build their children’s perspective of life in His ways.

That’s best accomplished, as He said, through talking about His ways in the “daily stuff” of life.

Here’s good news, it does not all rest on you!

Holy Spirit causes you to know what you need to know and when you need to know it!

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (MEV, 1 John 2:20).

Flotational Questions

Often, children release flotational questions. What I mean by that is – their questions are not directly related to what they just heard. They have been processing, and Holy Spirit reminds them (because that’s a big part of Holy Spirit’s job description) to ask when they’re flowing in their day with you.

I consider this one of the greatest joys of parenting.

However, some of those flotational questions hit you out of the blue!

(By the way, here’s another good reason to take your own rest break when they do. That assures you will have bandwidth to “hear” what’s important and to speak into it in those few short years you have to make the greatest impact in their lives.)

Pause to Hear His Answer

One time, my young son shared with me that he was having trouble because Jesus said you needed to hate your father and mother (Luke 14:26). I was thrilled he thought to tell me this – even though I was troubled that he was troubled.

Instantly, the Holy Spirit moved my thoughts to answer his concern in this manner, “Son, Jesus was talking to adults. These adults were putting their families (expectations and responsibilities) above what He was personally calling them to do. He was not telling children not to love, or to hate their parents, to follow Him.” I could tell that he was relieved, and I was to, as initially, I did not know how to answer him.

A good practice in life, which brought me to this place to answer my son, is to pause before answering.

In your prayer time, intentionally tell Holy Spirit that you want to hear and speak through Him. Even if you have not yet prayed, just pausing first will give Him a moment to prompt you rather than spilling out your own thoughts. My thoughts and words have no lasting benefit, and they can even be a detriment. However, Holy Spirit’s words are life and peace – now and forever.

How to Answer When They Won’t Stay

or You Don’t Know

Sometimes, children toss out a question and then move on. If they don’t want to listen right then, just take note of the question and pray about it, and ask the Lord to make a good time to go back to it.

Other times, little ones ask a question you truly do not know the answer to. That’s perfectly fine! Be honest. Tell them, “I don’t know, but let’s pray for Heavenly Father to cause us to know the answer.” He will give you the answer; it may be right away, it may be another day, but He will answer. So, keep your listening ears on and your spirit open to receive.

How It Should Have Ended

One day, my young son burst from his room and grabbed the front of his shirt, attempting to forcibly rip it. By the sheer grace of God, I instantly recognized what he was en route to do: Tear his clothes!

He had been listening to the dramatized version of Scripture.

People in Scripture who experienced great distress tore their clothes, and apparently, that day he was in great distress, and intended to join them! I intercepted him just in time to save the outfit. I didn’t answer well that day, either – I just told him that we don’t tear our clothes.

However, if I, too, had been taking rest breaks, I may have had the presence of mind to tell him that while we hear many accounts of people tearing their clothes in Scripture it is because it was such a big deal. Clothes were so valuable, so expensive, and when one tore their clothes, it was noteworthy and an extreme presentation to those around them of their great distress. Which, based on his outlook for the day, may have encouraged him to join them!

Dear Honored Parents, consider the effect of advertising and media on your children when an audio (dramatized) version alone caused my son to want to join what he heard.

The End

Crystal Wade, © 2025